Star Wars: Darth Maul: Trail of Blood
by Tenkai Nankobo 101
Summary: Having lost the love of his life, Maul is given the chance to journey to her homeworld for his master. His mission: protect King Laertes and investigate the rumors of Coriolanus' survival. Could it be true that the old king survived and if so, how did he?
1. Prologue

Star Wars

Darth Maul

Trail of Blood

By

Christopher Cleveland

Prologue

Maul's Sith Infiltrator landed in its regular hangar while he went to take a cab to Coruscant's maximum security prison. Just the day before, his Master had given him a new mission: to go to the Nyx system and planet Erebus, home of his former love the late Jedi Knight Ophelia. There, he was to protect her eldest brother Laertes from rebels that threatened his life daily while simultaneously investigating the truth behind rumors that Laertes and Ophelia's father Coriolanus was still alive. But first, he had to make a visit to an old foe: Laertes' younger brother Claudius who had been responsible for his young sister Ophelia's death, nearly four weeks before.

Though he detested the man, Sidious insisted that he seek Claudius out for information about Coriolanus in hoping to have a start on the rumor's truth. Bracing himself for any possible outcome of this visit, he stepped out of the cab that had taken him from his shuttle and arrived to the prison of Claudius' subjugation to Republic law. Once his false identification card was shown, the guards gave him a prisoner to escort him through the bowels of their prison as the guards wanted nothing to do with Claudius as well as heeding the Chancellor's orders for his sentence. Maul would not have wanted it any other way especially considering that facing the man who killed the only woman who could ever have loved him was personal.

Using a hovercraft, the escort lowered them into the depths of the prison to a dark place where Maul found him surprised at the number of people who did not manage to keep their sanity in check. He began to wonder if he had given Claudius the worst reason to go insane of the whole lot or if he had just done what was necessary to save all reality from the plans the scientist and the spirit of the ancient Sith Lord Darth Vitiate had created. Claudius had done the worst of all deeds when he made his attack on the Core of reality itself but Maul had to wonder if his mental resolve was a lot stronger than he had originally guessed. Initially, Claudius had been scared due to the loss of his sight as a price for his attack but he was calmed down by the time the judge sentenced him to life in this infernal prison.

"Here we are," the caretaker said, interjecting on Maul's deep contemplation. The cell's ray shield was turned off and Maul stepped in first. Maul had to admit he was somewhat disappointed what he saw before him but quickly dissolved it when Claudius ordered the caretaker to wait outside the cell and reactivated the shield containing them both. "Your mind is still intact even if your physical body is weakening with each day spent in that prison, impressive," Maul said, admitting his deepest surprise. "My crime hardened my resolve and I had time to think over what I had done rather than go mad in the belief I had done what was right as I did before," Claudius replied. Maul smiled and Claudius asked if he had come to kill him as he hoped. "Sorry to disappoint us both but I have not come to end your life, I've come for information on your father," Maul explained, holding his vengeance in check for now.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

In the darkness shrouding his ability to see with his eyes, Claudius had learned to see with his ears instead. And that distinct voice that hid a bloodlust beneath it could only have meant one thing: the dark warrior that had defeated him four weeks before he returned. He had prayed for many a night that the dark warrior would return and end his life only to be disappointed when the Zabrak said he would not. However, Claudius did find his alternate request to have been rather interesting.

"A rumor circulates as to the survival of my father? Interesting that nothing of him has surfaced since my plot was completed until now," Claudius asked. "I agree, especially considering that Ophelia said you trapped him and your grandfather in a tower that was closed off by impenetrable ray shields," answered the dark warrior. "Before I continue young man, may I request your name as you are the one who defeated me and sentenced me to this infernal prison?" Claudius asked calmly.

"My name is Maul, you need know no more than that nor would I give you more anyway," the warrior answered, somewhat amused by his curiosity. "Very well Maul, I will tell you what I do know of my father. First, if he did survive I would only be mildly surprised because once, when I was a little boy, he went out on a diplomatic expedition that ended with the temple that served as the rendezvous falling down on him. Everyone else perished but not he, he remained alive for weeks by drinking the water from the rains that came and eating any rodents he caught in spite of being immobilized by the rubble.

"When we found him, it was phenomenal that he was still alive even considering that several tons had landed on his lungs but were cushioned by his armor. If he found a way out of the tower before the self-destruct system could take him out, I would be impressed but not surprised. Because if he did survive, it could only mean one thing: his persistence combined with his possible desire to take revenge against me and Laertes allowed him to live whatever extremities I put him through before he vanished. Only problem is why he chose not to reveal himself after about one or two years when he was still being mourned (and Ophelia would have been eight or nine with me being fifteen or sixteen) but instead waiting nearly a decade after his 'demise' at my hands," Claudius explained.

"I find it highly irrational and impossible myself but my Master wants to make sure there are no threats to his plans for a goal that, after seeing all reality with you, seems shortsighted to me," Maul agreed. "Then why serve him? Why not betray him or else make him understand the futility in his goals?" Claudius asked. "I don't know yet though he has made me wish only to kill him," Maul admitted.

Then he added that perhaps it was because he had yet to learn everything from his master that he needed to know about the ways of the Sith. "Seems to me that you need a better reason for not leaving him but I will not question your curiosities," Claudius said. "Thank you, it would seem you remember that I am your superior as a result of defeating you on Heraklion Prime," Maul replied calmly. "Your time to see me regardless is appreciated but before you leave, I must have you promise me one thing," Claudius demanded.

Maul seemed reluctant to Claudius in spite of the latter being blind but obeyed his request. "You must vow to me that the next time we meet, you will kill me. The honor of my family and our enmity as well as my failure to carry out my plans by your hand demands you kill me," Claudius said. There was a moment of silence after that as Maul seemingly pondered the request.

Both men knew Claudius deserved it and both knew that Maul wanted more than anything to strike Claudius down in cold-blooded revenge. "Only if you tell me why you asked why I have not betrayed or left my Master yet," Maul answered after that short moment. "You have heard of Darth Bane's Rule of Two, have you not?" Claudius asked. Maul admitted Sidious had not taught him about Bane and that came as a shock to Claudius with Maul being apprentice to a Sith Lord.

"A thousand years ago, when Darth Bane was a young man, the Sith numbered in the legion known as the Brotherhood of Darkness like their Jedi enemies. Bane was initially an obedient acolyte but as time passed, he noticed that the Dark Side's power invited betrayal and rivalry thus making it inevitable, axiomatic if you will that the Brotherhood would turn on itself. So he helped it along when the Eight Battles of Ruusan occurred. After an endless search for knowledge, Bane found what he needed in a Holocron of Darth Revan that he destroyed when it was no longer of use to his ambition. Using what he learned and other items of the Dark Side that he found, Bane tricked the Brotherhood's leader, Kaan, into unleashing the thought bomb which was a weapon that burned up the physical bodies in its path and consumed their souls into oblivion so long as they had a connection to the Force.

"After destroying the Brotherhood, Bane created the Rule of Two. You can learn more about it later but the part that you should keep in mind begins with the Rule's verdict that there be one Master and one Apprentice at a time. The Master will teach the apprentice everything he knows despite knowing one thing: that in time, the apprentice will challenge the Master for the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith. Should the Master wins, he or she will keep their title a little longer but should the apprentice win, the Master shall die and their apprentice shall replace them only to share the same fate at the hands of their own apprentice," Claudius explained.

Maul took this new information in and stored it for later, knowing it may prove useful in the future. Now he realized that while he and Claudius may be foes, Claudius had information that he might need in this and other missions. "Thank you for that explanation and know this: I will contact you via hologram should I need information in the future about anything. Only if I meet you again like _this_ will I grant your death wish," he promised.

He added that this was his only offer or else he would not do as promised even with the information. "You are wise as you are powerful Maul, I accept these terms of our little oath. In hologram conversations will I be safe but the same will not be said should we meet again in the flesh," Claudius said, impressed enough to smile at Maul's cunning. "And one more thing: should it occur that we meet in the flesh again, I _don't _want to kill you while you are helpless," Maul said.

Now Claudius chuckled, genuinely impressed by this killer's control over the instincts of his dark psyche. "You can count on it, Darth Maul," he replied enthusiastically. Though he couldn't see, he sensed Maul smile back at him before he rose from the chair he had borrowed and turned to leave. Claudius had indeed learned his lesson from Maul defeating him but it was not Maul he was interested in destroying.

Instead, he was interested in finding someone that might have been a catalyst for Ophelia accepting the mission besides himself, Mace Windu, and Yoda. Someone he used to hear lots about who like her was a Padawan though he wasn't certain of his present status in the Order. He only knew the boy's last name but it was enough as there was only one line in the galaxy that bore that name. The boy was called "Kenobi" and Claudius remembered a Padawan named Obi-wan who bore that name _and _was being trained by Master Qui-Gon Jinn. He was hoping that someday, he could use Maul's hatred of him to lure either Jinn or Kenobi into his trap and take revenge for their success in foiling his early attempts at the dimensional manipulator that had taken him to his defeat against Darth Maul; all that remained was a matter of sitting and waiting for now.

Just as Maul was leaving, he called for him to stop and allow one more message to make its way into his evil head. "There is a man who used to be my competitor before we met and has envied my brilliance. His public name is Ozymandias but his real name is Douglas Vectivus Slade and for years, he has been trying to steal my technology. With my failure known, he may try to recover my files at our version of Heraklion," he said.

Maul already knew what Claudius wanted him to do: destroy the files as well as anyone who had access to them if necessary. "It will be done both quickly and painlessly besides, another scientist who has no connection to the Force shouldn't be a problem for someone like me," he said. "Kill him if you can, you know the dangerous risks we'd be taking to let him recover my notes and use them for his own shortsighted schemes," Claudius said. Maul could not have agreed more and made sure to have a mental note to go back to Heraklion as soon as he returned to his ship, _Scimitar_.

Claudius was right on one thing: anything that could help Ozymandias in his little quest to better Claudius using technology the latter invented for dimensional manipulation had to be destroyed. His only hope was that he was not already too late to stop the younger fool from making an even worse mistake than Claudius'. Plus he always wondered what it would be like to kill what normal people called an egghead anyway. It would certainly compensate for Claudius' usefulness preventing his demise for right now.

**"Master Qui-Gon,** it is good to see you again old friend. Surely you could spare me a few words before you go off on yet another mission," said an old Jedi Master to his friend. "Master Othone, it is always gaze upon your face as it reminds me of our old days together," Qui-Gon replied with much enthusiasm in his voice. "And Obi-wan Kenobi I presume, Qui-Gon has spoken highly of your talents," Darius Othone said to the young man accompanying his friend.

"And my Master has not left out much he knows about you honorable, Master Othone," Kenobi replied as he bowed in respect. "Please, no formalities with me young man. As much as Masters Windu and Yoda love their due respect, I find the formalities expressing that respect absolutely pointless," Othone said. "It's part of why, as I am now, he's been at odds with the Council for as long as I can remember," Qui-Gon added.

"Forgive me Master," Obi-wan begged honestly. "And don't apologize when you've done nothing wrong either. Makes my skin crawl sometimes," Othone ordered. Qui-Gon laughed, loving the way his old friend played around with his Padawan as it reminded him much of how Othone used to do the same to him.

"Don't fret Obi-wan, it's his way of playing around with Jedi protocol. And Master Othone, don't you have a new assignment to be going on?" Qui-Gon asked teasingly. "As a matter of fact, I do. I'm to go with Doctor Ozymandias to Heraklion and recover the notes of his rival Claudius Draco for Ozymandias' own studies," Othone answered.

"With all due respect but isn't it dangerous to hand the notes of one scientist over to another? Especially considering that Claudius succeeded in learning how to travel between dimensions and Ozymandias was a rival before Claudius was arrested," Obi-wan asked. Othone chuckled and stated that he admired Obi-wan's way of thinking. "You are right Kenobi but the Council ordered this and while I may disagree and have even voiced the same arguments, they insisted that my presence was necessary in letting Ozymandias take Claudius' work from him," Othone added.

"May the Force be with you old friend. I've heard rumors that a warrior unaffiliated with our Order helped Ophelia stop her brother despite the fact that she died fighting him at Heraklion Prime," Qui-Gon said. "If there is any truth to those rumors, or if he just wants to stop us from making the transition, we will find out," Othone replied. "When are you due to meet Ozymandias at our version of Heraklion?" Qui-Gon asked. "As soon as he signals that he has found the laboratory and wishes me to arrive on a prepaid cruiser," Othone said. "May the Force be with you then," Qui-Gon said with a final bow. His Padawan followed his example and Othone returned the respect to his old friend and the young man in his company.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Maul knew that he needed to find the secret entrance to Claudius' old laboratory quickly. If Ozymandias had already opened the door, it wouldn't be long before security protocols were taken and the droids attacked his Republic escort. The reduced number in the escort would be perfect for Maul to finish them off then destroy Claudius' files before their Jedi ally was due to arrive on Heraklion. Parking his ship as close to the hut that disguised the lab as possible, Maul had then run on foot to the little hut and when he arrived he saw that it had already been broken into by Ozymandias and his men.

There was no doubt in Maul's mind that beneath the ground would lead him to a war zone on a miniature scale. However, it was enough that his security force had been reduced for Maul to pick the rest off. Arriving at the end of the long spiral he and Ophelia had treaded weeks before, Maul saw scattered droids parts and decomposing corpses lying around the once-pristine laboratory. Voices led Maul to the working area as well as Claudius' living quarters and he knew immediately who the voices belonged to once he saw a man wearing the robes of the wealthy and the rest wore the garbs of Republic security guards.

"What do you mean the download is incomplete?" Ozymandias demanded. His voice sounded rather feminine for a human male scientist. _No wonder why he envied Claudius: Claudius had both scientific genius and masculinity. Ozymandias has just the former of the two items _Maul thought to himself.

Regardless of Ozymandias' lack of masculinity in both voice and build, Maul stepped out and ignited one end of his double-sided lightsaber. Letting the red blade glow and hum for a moment, Maul waited until Ozymandias and the thirteen security guards surrounding him had all turned around. "Who are you? You certainly aren't Darius Othone, the Jedi coming to supervise my reception of Claudius' old notes," asked Maul's weak target.

"You're right, I'm not Othone but neither am I a Jedi Knight. Instead, I am the dark warrior that aided his sister in his capture and I have come to kill you, your guards, and destroy everything in this room," Maul answered. Ozymandias told his guards to attack after hearing that threat and Maul immediately had thirteen electrostaffs to worry about from the guards. But he scoffed at this and attacked with the full might of Form VII Juyo, slicing off arms, legs, heads, and other body parts in different directions with no effort.

In the blink of an eye, only Ozymandias stood alive with a small pistol in his hand but Maul would soon change that too. The scientist fired a few shots at his enemy before realizing the futility in attacking Maul with such a weapon as what he had. "I'm begging you, don't kill me! You can take my money, you can have your way with my women, do whatever else you want just don't kill me please!" Ozymandias begged.

"I won't take your riches, I won't take your women, but I _will _take your life. Because those who beg for mercy do not deserve it," Maul replied before slicing the foolish man in two. The stroke was quick and left no pain in Ozymandias, who deserved the pain possible for his cowardly attempts to bribe Maul with material goods such as money and women. Then he turned his attention to the computers that were linked to Ozymandias' copy machines and began hacking randomly, destroying everything in his path and activating the self-destruct protocol just to be sure he destroyed all of it.

**The moment Othone** heard Ozymandias say he had arrived to Heraklion, he ran to the fastest ship he could find and demanded that it take him to Heraklion immediately. He knew that if they hadn't already done so, it would only be a matter of time before they ran into the security systems Claudius had designed to attack any and all intruders who interrupted his work without his permission. And Othone knew he would need to be there to help them through if they had not hastily attempted to go at it alone. His only hope was that his fears about Ozymandias' infamously high amount of material wealth didn't blind him to the dangers below Claudius' disguise of a hut that hid him and his work without raising suspicion.

He arrived within two or three days of his hasty departure from Coruscant and welcomed the primitive village surrounded by open plains as a change from Coruscant's worldwide jungle of metal, concrete, and electricity. After all, he was born in a settlement like the one he arrived at on Heraklion more than seventy years ago on Dantooine. The farmer community reminded him much of home until he saw the people and how they suffered from malnutrition when they had to go months without regular imports and few exports. Unfortunately, it also reminded him of why his father had sent him to the Jedi away from all he knew from his seven siblings to the cool summer breezes that would stroke his young hair and skin, tickling him as it went about this.

For the sake of these people and himself, he wanted to rendezvous with Ozymandias, retrieve Claudius' files, and leave Heraklion. Besides just wanting to get this small detail over with, he also wanted to find a way he could help these people and get leave from the Council to do that until they could fend for themselves adequately. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Doctor Ozymandias and his security crew. Have any of you seen him or any of his crew recently?" Othone asked politely.

"If you mean that fag in robes with the Republic guards, he went down into that hut a few days ago and hasn't come back out," a local answered blatantly. "Thank you good sir for that direct tip," Othone replied, making sure to remain as calm and polite as possible. Besides, he did admit that he himself thought of Ozymandias as queer due to his robes and somewhat feminine voice. He secretly chuckled at the local man's willingness to admit his own thought once he was out of their sight.

In his seventy-four years alive, he had seen many strange things but if anything came close to topping them off, it was definitely Ozymandias. He thought about this then came upon a sight he had hoped he would never behold. The hut's door had been broken into due to the keypad being destroyed and he knew it could mean only one thing. Ozymandias had chosen not to wait for his arrival and proceed to break into the hut, triggering all of Claudius' security systems almost simultaneously.

Igniting his lightsaber and letting the purple blade glow and hum, he slowly descended down the stairs leading to Claudius' underground lair of malevolence. It didn't take long for him to see the first signs of battle with the security systems as the stairs had once had powerful wall lasers that were now deactivated and/or destroyed by the Republic guards. After traveling down the stairs, he opened up to a chamber full of scattered corpses and droid parts, undoubtedly the casualties of a skirmish with Claudius' second and final layer of defense against intruders. After this, he called out to Ozymandias, hoping that the fool had somehow survived all this just so he could scold him for his arrogance personally.

The first two bits of the bad news came to him as soon as he entered Claudius' working quarters that were joined by his bathroom and bedroom for easy access. That bit was Ozymandias and the remaining guards were also dead which led to the second bit of bad news. The second bit was that their wounds told of deaths caused not by blaster bolts from droids or lasers on the wall but something else. A closer look gave away the cauterized marks of a lightsaber and he knew immediately what could have caused this as well as the destruction of Claudius' computers with the files still inside of them.

Problem was, there were too many Dark Jedi to nail it one suspect but he began to wonder if it really was a Dark Jedi. An even closer look showed that this was not the usual sloppy work of a Dark Jedi but the tactical maneuvers of something even worse. For a long time, Othone had sensed a rising darkness and suspected what it could be: the return of the Sith to this galaxy. Was it possible that after his thirty years of mere speculation that the Force had at last provided him with a clue as to whether or not they existed and were rising once more?

**"So all the data** has been destroyed then?" Claudius asked curiously. "Everything I could hack my lightsaber was not spared from my wrath. I am now en route to Erebus to officially begin my mission," Maul answered. "Then may the Force be with you, my old foe or is it safe to call you a friend now?" Claudius teased which Maul answered with a shrug.

Claudius' hologram fizzled out of existence and Maul continued his route to the home of both Claudius and his sister, the woman Maul had come to love only to lose her at the hands of Claudiate. Claudiate, the combination between Claudius and the ancient Sith Lord Darth Vitiate created from the fusion of their souls enhanced by the power of Heraklion Prime. It was that enemy Maul had faced and defeated that he hated much more than either Claudius or Vitiate individually for what they had done as Claudiate. Immediately, he suppressed the memory of how he had helplessly watched as Claudiate gutted the woman he loved with her lightsaber.

Erebus was almost in sight Maul decided to take _Scimitar _out of hyperspace early enough to activate his cloak of invisibility and get around the primitive but effective security blockade surrounding Erebus. According to Sidious' instructions, he was to infiltrate Laertes' castle in the capital city of Helene and watch for any who might take Laertes' life during his summit to the HoloNet news and Chancellor Valorum back on Coruscant. It didn't take long for Maul to position himself in a place easy to go in and out of in a hurry nor long to sense the rebels as well as their hidden locations. All he needed to do now was wait until they sprung into the open and made a move for the King of Erebus himself.

And fortunately, that didn't take long as fourteen rebels sprung from nowhere before he could begin his speech and attacked him. They quickly dispatched his security escort with their spears and proceeded to kill him with their swords. Maul admired their courage but knew it was not going to save them from his wrath. He jumped down from the balcony he stood on and ignited both ends of his lightsaber then uttering a chilling battle cry that sapped the courage out of eight of them and sent them screaming like girls as he slaughtered the remaining six soldiers.

Sad thing was that these rebels were so lacking in actual sword skills that they were barely even worth a quick death but had been given one nonetheless. One or two were sliced in half, one was decapitated, and the rest were hacked to bits by both blood-red blades that glowed, hummed, and zoomed, slicing the air as well as helpless people. Laertes watched in horror as Maul mutilated the rebels in front of him and dared not say a thing for fear that Maul would turn on him also. Maul turned toward him and the King shook with fright, fearing for his life but Maul assured him that his purpose was to protect Laertes, not kill him.

"However, I must regretfully inform you that I must remain anonymous during the time that these rebels are active. It's for the sake of investigating their origins and understanding why they continuously attack you," Maul explained. "Thank you young man for saving my life, I will always be in your debt for your actions," Laertes replied. Then Maul was on his way to begin the investigation of the rumors of Coriolanus' survival.

**"Place him across my** operation table immediately, this one's going to prove useful," said the devious doctor with the smile and trench coat. Two of his assistants immediately brought his subject, who was frozen in carbonite, on the stretcher he had come with. The subject was number CC1987064535 otherwise known as the former king Coriolanus Draco of planet Erebus. Smiling, he ordered Coriolanus unfrozen and the prostheses he had for him ready simultaneously.

He had found Coriolanus on the verge of death and had had to bring it up to where he could sustain preservation in the carbonite without dying. After that he, Doctor Archimedes, had kept Coriolanus alive in case he or anyone else may need Coriolanus' skills one day. Now was the time, especially now that he knew a dark warrior wielding a double-sided lightsaber was protecting the current King, Laertes. Coriolanus was in need of severe bodily repair as he had been when Archimedes found him not too far from the Palace that Claudius had destroyed when he successfully finished his plans to bring peace to planet Erebus.

Working quickly right after Coriolanus was thawed out, he attached the prosthetic left arm which would go to the full length of his arm, a right arm that would just cover barely above the elbow, and an apparatus to replace everything below his pelvis in a sequence that was both familiar and quick for him. He also applied his specialty treat to Coriolanus' right eye which had been long gouged out of him during combat he had conducted during his youthful years. It would not only aid his sight tremendously but would also allow him to watch as the events he planned transpired without linking himself to Laertes' father and predecessor. Now he brought Coriolanus back to life after years of having been nearly dead at the hands of the son who had betrayed him and his kingdom.

After doing so, he tested his subject for any sign of sentience besides what he provided. "Do you know who you are?" he asked. "I know I am Coriolanus Draco, former King of Nyx and presently an outcast thanks to my sons, that despicable Claudius and the cowardly Laertes. And I know you were the one who brought me back to life after years of being nearly dead thanks to the explosion that destroyed my palace as well as the entire city neighboring it," Coriolanus answered.

_Good, precisely what I wanted you to give me in response to that question _Archimedes said to himself. Smiling, Archimedes continued with his examination as to the entirety of his control over Coriolanus' damaged mind. "You are in luck Coriolanus, I have made an arrangement with Laertes to accept a bodyguard with the attack of the rebels increasing and his current security proving inadequate," Archimedes said. "If I am not mistaken, you wish me to serve as his bodyguard until you tell me when to strike him down," Coriolanus said.

Archimedes nodded, surprised that Coriolanus figured that out without him telling but decided to let that slide because he knew that Coriolanus would need _some _independence in order to serve both Laertes and him. "You are correct your Majesty, once I tell you to do so then you will be the one to kill your son and retake your throne. Are you ready to accept this mission and gain some revenge against your one of your sons?" Archimedes asked him.

"I have been waiting nearly twenty years for this chance, I may be able to wait a little longer but I don't know how much longer," Coriolanus answered. "Good, then let's get you to Nyx to begin your servitude to your temporary master and younger son," Archimedes said with much enthusiasm on his face. This would indeed be a great servant for him and the rebellion.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

On the outskirts of Laertes' capital city named after the planet, Maul had built a hut near the city in a cave where he could remain secluded from any unwanted attention. He bought supplies in town when he needed them but he made sure to keep it short and sweet while simultaneously keeping an eye on the King. Appointments with Laertes were very minimal but in gratitude for saving his life and for offering free services as a bodyguard to him, Laertes gave him permission to visit anytime he wished. During one such appointment, Laertes had asked him who he was and how he knew of him.

Maul had been reluctant to reveal anything and remained so over the course of several visits. However, he had eventually given in when Laertes demanded to know at the threat of revealing him to the Jedi with full knowledge that Maul would be their enemy. Maul had told him that he had once been an ally to Ophelia, helping her during the last days of her career as a Jedi, the last days of her life. He told him about how Claudius had violently murdered her at Heraklion Prime and was now spending time in Coruscant's maximum security prison for her death as well as violating the rules of the Science Guild which strictly forbade interdimensional travel and manipulation of alternative realities.

Laertes had left him alone on the matter after that, perhaps pondering the fate of his brother and sister. Maul had visited with infrequency after that, arriving only to gather any information he found from rebels he had spotted and tortured into confession. "What happened with each of them after you were done with him?" Laertes asked. "Like you needed to ask that," Maul answered.

Laertes knew what Maul had meant by that comment immediately and nodded to show his understanding. Knowing the Sith of ancient legend, Laertes knew Maul had more than likely worn out their usefulness then disposed of them when he had taken what he needed from them. He had done this to eleven known associates and sympathizers of the rebellion who were likely to have any information on rebel outposts and assassination targets. But then after a week of near-futile efforts and only a few minor hits prevented, Maul decided to take a different approach.

"Where can I find someone who will know how to get me inside a rebel base?" Maul asked. "Are you planning to infiltrate them, find out all their information then undo them from the inside out?" Laertes asked in reply. Maul nodded and added that it would get him a lot farther than torture sessions with select associates and sympathizers. "If there is anyone who could lead you to the whereabouts of a rebel post such as what you seek, it would be Archimedes," Laertes replied.

"How come I have never heard of him before?" Maul asked, curious. "All records of Archimedes in the Republic were purged due to his rebellious medical and engineering views that focused primarily on combining the two together in order to create a more perfect field. Unfortunately, he went over the budget with many of his projects and was unable to pay back in time to avoid going bankrupt. This was worsened when virtually all of his experiments failed and those that succeeded were pathetically lacking in sentience and usefulness to the Republic," Laertes explained.

When Maul said nothing, Laertes continued with Archimedes' sad story. "Since then, he has been working for the highest bidder in providing weapons of war that are somewhat crude but have proven quite effective. He's also created primitive types of super soldiers were almost as effective as the inanimate weapons he has created for both myself and the rebellion. Archimedes has no permanent ties to any one side but he is the most likely to know of any important rebel posts, it would be him since he _despises _not bringing his creations to the location they are to be delivered to if he can help it," he concluded.

"When are you expecting to see him again?" Maul asked. "You're in luck, I'm due to see him tomorrow. He has apparently created something I may be interested in and perhaps while discussing what he's brought, you can sneak on his ship and wait until you have him alone. Having him help you find a rebel outpost should not be difficult from that point due to the fact that a single threat usually makes him talk very easily," Laertes answered.

"You sound as though you aren't worried about my departure," Maul stated. "On the contrary, I'm actually somewhat ecstatic because despite how long it may take for you to report anything to me you will have more in-depth information than any of my best spies could possibly hope to achieve. Besides, a Jedi Knight named Darius Othone is coming to protect me in your stead if that does not somehow hinder your plans for the rebellion," Laertes replied. "No it does not hinder my plans in any way unless the Jedi decides to investigate the possibility you have an ear on the inside," Maul said.

"Then be ready to infiltrate Archimedes' ship tomorrow afternoon, it'll be then or never while we discuss what he has brought and any price he may have in mind for it," Laertes ordered. Maul nodded and asked for a room to have in the Palace so that he could stay close until Archimedes arrived. He even added that he had already torn down his portable hut and packed up all of his supplies for this. "I'll arrange for my maidens to prepare you with the accommodations you will need for your stay, I will even be generous and order nothing but the best from all who accommodate you tonight," Laertes said, accepting his humble request.

"One question though: when is the Jedi due to arrive?" Maul asked. Laertes' skin paled as he realized he had forgotten about that matter. "Unfortunately, I heard he was due to arrive within the hour. Would like me to send all food and other services into your room so you don't risk revealing yourself?" Laertes asked.

Maul nodded violently and Laertes stepped on making the arrangements needed to accommodate Maul during his stay in the Palace. The bother was double for Laertes as he would also need to accommodate the Jedi Master while he stayed on Nyx for the duration of his stay in Laertes' domain. A room was immediately spared for both Jedi and Sith with Maul's being one room above where Darius would be staying while on Nyx. Laertes was only calmed when Maul settled in and he had everything ready before going to meet Darius in person as was customary on his planet.

**When Darius arrived on planet Nyx,** he immediately sensed something strange about Laertes. Whether it was a paranoid fear born out of the attempts on his life or something else was beyond him but the old man had been alive long enough to know that sometimes, it was best not to inquire as to the reasons for someone's fear. That or accept that perhaps it was his first time meeting a Jedi personally and he was just overwhelmed by the idea of a Master staying in his home. "Greeting Master Othone, it is an honor to receive a prestigious Jedi Master into our humble keeping," Laertes greeted.

"It is an honor to serve and protect you until the source of the rebellion has been found and stopped. Have necessary accommodations been made for my stay?" Othone asked. "Yes, we prepared a room for you and forgive me if some of it seems sloppy. We forgot we were expecting you until just an hour ago when one of my servants reminded me," Laertes answered.

"I will take anything over having to sit another moment on the seats of a Republic cruiser for as long as possible," Othone replied. Laertes smiled and guided the Jedi to his destination where Othone would immediately make himself at home. "Oh Master Othone, I have a business transaction to make tomorrow and the man I'm dealing with is known to have dealt with rebels before. Would you care to provide me with some protection in case he has soldiers with him?" Laertes requested.

Othone nodded, knowing it would give him a chance to start his quest in investigating the cause of the rebellion. When guided to his room, Othone figured he could start his meditations early so that he could be up in time to meet with Laertes for this business of his. Immediately, he sensed a dark void in the room above him that reminded him immediately of the carnage on Heraklion. Could this be a sign of the presence of Ozymandias' murderer but if so, why would he or she be here at any rate? He would have to go up to the room and see for himself if that was even remotely possible. Maybe this one would also know about the fate of Ophelia

**Maul had sensed the** overwhelming presence of the Light side of the Force and immediately deduced that Darius Othone had arrived. He really wished his master had taught him how to shield his presence from the Jedi but he would have to improvise without the knowledge to aid him. Curious, Othone decided to investigate and see if he could track down the assassin before he could do any more harm than he had already done. It could be possible that he could put an end to his investigation before he even had to begin it.

Maul sensed the presence of Othone as he moved toward him and knew that unless he did something, he would soon be discovered. He decided to settle for moving into the ventilation system and hope that the Jedi would think he was mislead in his sensing of Maul's aura. Climbing quickly, he saw that he had made that move just in time for Othone knock on his door and ask if anyone resided in his room. Maul did not respond and knew that if he remained hidden (much as he hated doing that) would not risk compromising the mission.

He had to remind himself that he was only here to protect Laertes until Sidious recalled him and he reported the truth behind the rumors of Coriolanus' survival. Good thing was that Maul had seen fit to request a comlink from Laertes so that they could communicate during his undercover operations in the rebellion. However, that was going to prove a hindrance should Laertes decide to call him while he was hiding from Othone. His heart was pumping and he truly hoped that Laertes didn't decide to bother him now and reveal him to the Jedi but luckily, he did not have to worry about that since Darius left after a few knocks on the door.

**"Can I help you, Master Jedi?"** Laertes asked politely. "I thought I sensed a life-form up here, does anyone occupy this space in your Palace?" Darius replied. "Oh no, no one's been in there for years, not since the days of my father," Laertes said. _Not until Maul arrived that is, it used to be my mother's room whenever father was away in battle or negotiating a truce with a rival _Laertes said to himself but not out loud.

"Something troubles you, what is it?" Darius inquired. "That used to be my deceased mother's room whenever my father was away from home," Laertes explained out of necessity. "I am so sorry, I have not known what it was like to have a family since I was less than ten years old and now I am seventy-six years old as of last month," Darius replied sympathetically. Laertes led him away, thanked him for his words, but could not shake off the feeling that the Jedi was still suspicious of Maul's presence in his Palace.

"Who is the man you spoke of about the business you had?" Darius Othone asked. "I don't think you want to know just yet," Laertes answered. Othone insisted and Laertes revealed he was associating with Doctor Archimedes himself. "Because he is associated with you, I will let him get away with the crimes that have made him a fugitive for now but finish this business and make sure he understands that the next time he contacts you, he _will_ be brought back to trial on Coruscant," Darius warned.

"Believe me, I intend to be done with him after this. As it is, I have very few associations with him," Laertes replied calmly. That was one point where for once, he could agree with the Jedi without worrying for Maul. After all, if he could get into their base, Maul may be Laertes' only chance of undoing them Sith Lord or not.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Archimedes arrived right on schedule and presented himself in the same cocky way that Laertes remembered from last time. "Doctor, how be you today?" Laertes asked with a bow. Archimedes returned the bow and replied that he was exceptionally enthusiastic about this deal. _Can't understand why he would be if he's had dealings with the King before _Othone thought.

"For today's deal with you, your Royal Highness, may I present…" he slowly went off as if trying to add drama to a perfect moment he had planned. Laertes and Darius braced themselves for whatever he had to say and Laertes knew that if Maul overheard this, it could affect his investigations. Then Archimedes said it, "Coriolanus Draco returned from the dead!" Right on cue, a cyborg that was undoubtedly Coriolanus years ago walked down the ramp of Archimedes' shuttle and walked towards the man who had once been his eldest son.

Coriolanus bowed before his son and explained his mission was now only to serve him since Laertes had become king in his place. "My father… resurrected? How did you do this, Archimedes and what is your charge for this achievement?" Laertes asked. It was impossible for Claudius to have been flawed in his calculations of the setting he had established for the deaths of both Coriolanus and Fortinbras.

But then, he did remember what Claudius had said when Laertes asked him about a chance of survival. "If either one of them were to survive, our father would be the most likely candidate. After all, he's gotten himself out of many predicaments through cleverness while our grandfather merely applied brute force and fought his way through that same problem," Claudius had said to his brother. It had not eased Laertes' worries completely but he could be safe in the knowledge that his brother had calculated the chances.

Better yet, Claudius had admitted that at least for their father there was some slight chance that he could escape from their intricate trap. Now, Coriolanus stood before Laertes no longer his lord and father but his cybernetic servant destined only to help him destroy the rebels. Only Master Othone sensed that Archimedes had hidden intentions for this servant of Laertes especially when he said that he was willing to give Coriolanus to Laertes for free. "As for how I saved him, I found him on the verge of death after just barely surviving Claudius' well-thought and near-perfect assassination attempt and stored him in carbonite until I felt you would be needing his skills," he added.

_Carbon freezing has only worked on inanimate objects or small animals yet he has somehow managed to make it work for Coriolanus. Did we miss something about the capacity of carbonite's ability to store humans and related humanoid species? _Othone asked himself. It was definitely something to report to Master Yoda and Windu after this business was over and he would have the privacy of his room to meditate on this as well as what he had learned about the capacities of carbonite storage.

**Maul knew his window** of opportunity had come when Archimedes had stepped out of his ship to conduct business with King Laertes. However, he was temporarily thrown off by the cyborg that had come out of the shuttle especially when Archimedes announced that it was the former King Coriolanus Draco. Indeed the rumors were true but he had to wonder, would Claudius really be unsurprised at the survival of his father or had he lied due to the arrogance brought on by the success of his plans to bring peace to Nyx? Probably not as Archimedes had been a competitor of his who tried to prove himself better than Claudius by combining aspects of mechanical engineering with medicine.

While indeed an impressive feat as was seen with Coriolanus, Claudius would undoubtedly have called it shortsighted as it would only benefit this galaxy and not the others both he and Claudius had seen. After being momentarily distracted by Coriolanus' sudden resurrection, Maul entered the ship after mind-tricking the guards into going to his room to obtain his ID papers which allowed him on board the small shuttle. Laertes had told him that Archimedes would not be long in finishing the business nor returning to his shuttle for the trip back to his base of operations deep within the mountains northwest of the Palace. _It appears that he is typical of the mad scientist community with a base in the mountains and associations with anyone who bids high enough to have his creations in their power _Maul thought.

He smiled with that thought and saw from his hiding point that Archimedes was returning right on schedule, his business with the King concluded. Maul let the scientist board the ship, close up the ramp, and head for the controls which would guide his shuttle back to his dark and damp home. It was after Archimedes plotted the course and set it to autopilot that Maul struck, igniting his lightsaber and putting it to Archimedes' throat before the man could draw out the small pistol he had holstered and properly clipped to his belt. "Archimedes, tell me where I may find a rebel outpost or else I will gut you alive!" Maul ordered with much sadism carried in his voice.

"Please do not harm me lad, I am merely a man trying to make a scrap living with his capabilities as a medic and an engineer. There is a rebel recruitment center not too far from my laboratory in a neighboring village that has not love for the King or his dynasty," Archimedes said. "Point it out to me when we are near your cave and maybe I won't cut you to bits, little man," Maul ordered maliciously. "No need for this violent behavior, I will take you to the village before I head home if that should satisfy you," Archimedes replied.

Maul never once let his eyes leave Archimedes even when he had deactivated his lightsaber and let Archimedes chart his course to include the village along his way back home. Archimedes told Maul to get settled in as it would be at least a standard hour before they arrived at the village where Maul could find the rebels. Maul did but never let his guard down around Archimedes, knowing that while insane this one was no fool and would seize any chance to destroy the Dark Lord that he could possibly get. It was only when he saw that Archimedes had kept his word that Maul began to relax until he heard that Archimedes could not land on the village.

"Why not?" Maul asked. "The village elders have banished me from coming to the village but I am allowed to let anybody who wants to come in to jump from my ship and onto the village grounds, no more than that though," Archimedes answered. Maul frowned but chose to accept that as he knew village elders on any planet could be staunch in their decisions no matter how wise or unwise they turned out to be. When he got close enough, Archimedes opened up the ramp and Maul jumped down to the village below which looked impoverished, thus encouraging the youth to seek out the rebels and the elderly to wonder if they would ever come back to help them make a decent living.

After Archimedes' shuttle left, Maul made his way into the deeper parts of the village in the hopes of finding a recruiter in their equivalent of a town square. With his lightsaber ready for any fights he may have with the youths of this poor place, his logic had been that closer to the town square would be where he'd find the recruits since recruiters normally sought visibility in places like this. Suddenly, six men from all directions lunged themselves at him but he ignited one end of his lightsaber and warned them to get back from him lest they be the next victims of his red blade. "You are not the first young men I've killed nor will you be the last should you choose to die by my hand," he added.

All of them stopped their attack immediately but one was curious and asked him what he was doing if he didn't want to harm any member of their village. "I'm seeking a recruiter from the rebellion so I may be taken to the rebel leaders. I believe they will find my abilities more interesting than anyone else they may have with them presently," Maul answered. "There is one in the town square and perhaps he may have an interest in your abilities with that weapon you have," the leader told him.

"It's called a lightsaber!" one of his comrades interjected. "I know what it is, dumbass! Now follow us and we'll take you to the local recruiter," the leader said impatiently. Funny thing was that Maul now took the time to examine the weapons they had and realized that they had to be from offworld due to how they shone and looked fresher than the native blades of Nyx.

In addition, it seemed that they were vibroblades with a patent from either the Techno Union or the Trade Federation though Maul didn't understand why they would make weapons for anyone, forgetting these people. It was not long before they arrived at the square nor long for the recruiter to show up and ask the youths who they had obtained for the cause this time around. "A special one, he's got a lightsaber on his belt and seems to wield it professionally," the leader of the group explained. _You haven't even seen me wield my lightsaber since you stopped before you started a fight _Maul thought but did not say.

"A Jedi?" the recruiter asked him. "Better," Maul said before igniting his lightsaber again. The recruiter looked at him and Maul wondered if he had blown his cover by doing that but was relieved when the recruiter guessed he was a Dark Jedi. "And that is a lot better than the ones from Coruscant," he added.

"Will the rebel leaders desire to see me?" Maul asked. "Perhaps but for now, you'll have to deal with the leaders of this area's outpost if you're not in a big hurry to go anywhere," the recruiter answered. "No, in fact, I have no intention of going very far just right now," Maul lied. He hoped to get into the rebellion's heart soon and report all their plans to Laertes in secret.

It was one of the details he covered while discussing his plans to undo them from the inside with him. "I'll start out by serving their cause, perhaps giving them some hope. Several of your troops may have to die to enforce this view but several dozen by my hand is better than several thousand by theirs when you think about it," he had said to the King. "Several thousand will still die by their hand," Laertes had replied predictably.

"True but those several thousand will be the accumulation of several hundred unimportant posts since all the important ones on their side will be under attack by your troops thanks to my efforts within," Maul had said to Laertes. Smiling, Laertes had accepted the plan immediately and so far, Maul believed the plan was going good. The first stage of it was completed now that the recruiter had chosen to recruit him to the rebellion's cause. After this, the next stage would be a simple one: prove his allegiance to the rebellion by following their instructions while slowly sending information on important rebel facilities to Laertes.

"Congratulations pal, looks like you're in the rebellion," said the leader of the gang he met. "Why wouldn't I be?" Maul asked. "You've yet to pass the test of initiation, if you do you're in but if you don't, you die," the leader answered. "I never did catch your name, good sir," Maul said.

"I'm called Fafnir in these parts and I don't mind a good fight whenever one comes," the man replied with a wide and toothy grin. Maul could tell he had years of experience from how his gums looked like the teeth had been punched out and how the remaining ones looked like one more punch would knock them all out. "What is the test of initiation?" Maul asked. "You have to fight me and as many of my gang as you can before giving up, defeat more than six and you're in," he answered.

"And if I defeat you all?" Maul inquired. "Nobody has done that before but if you were to do it, you would no doubt attract the attention of the local captain and possibly the rebel leaders," Fafnir answered. Maul liked this test already, knowing full well that unless there was a Force-sensitive among them these young men would not be _too _difficult. As it was, the fact that they had challenged him to a death match where he had to kill as many as possible was reason enough to appreciate their skills in combat especially if no one had ever defeated all of them before.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Maul sensed no Force-sensitives in the gang but had no doubt it was still going to be somewhat challenging with their knowledge of martial arts and the weapons they chose to wield against him. Some of these were different kinds of axes, primitive bows and arrows, and several different types of vibroblades ranging from paired knives to long swords. His plan was simple: first see what he could do just using Teräs Käsi against them before then applying his powers and his lightsaber. It didn't take long for them to send in someone who was willing to fight him and the man was by no means a mere trifle.

He was easily more than two meters tall and wielded a huge mace with massive spikes on the ball. However, Maul immediately saw a means to take him out with just his martial arts. Leaping into the air, he spun repeatedly and in complete circles until he neared the giant's head then delivered a kick to the face so powerful that he literally snapped the man's neck like a twig and broke his upper spinal cord. The giant monster of a man was dead before he hit the ground and after Maul had done so.

Initially, the rest of the gang was reluctant to continue the fight but Fafnir instructed them that they could forfeit and lose their masculinity or fight and possibly die with honor and dignity. The next one to make an attempt was a young Ithorian with a pair of short scythes who used them more like axes then scythes or so Maul determined from his sloppiness. This one was killed with a simple chop to both arms and a twist of his neck that easily broke his whole spinal cord from the shoulders to his feet. The next man to attack was a human with a war hammer that would easily take two men to wield under normal circumstances but Maul knew these were not normal at all.

_Three down, thirty-five more to go _Maul thought to himself. He slaughtered twenty more with just his skill in Teräs Käsi, smashing the face of a human here, rupturing the appendix of a fellow Zabrak there, and even managing to shut down two of the three hearts on a Muun at the same time. The inability to pump enough blood to his head and body caused the Muun to die within a few minutes but Maul realized that the last fifteen men he had to fight (including Fafnir) would not be dealt with as easily as the twenty-three men he had slain with his skill in Teräs Käsi. So instead of continuing with his martial arts, he pulled out his lightsaber and activated one end before beckoning his final set of opponents to their sad and, perhaps, pathetic demises at his blade.

The first man to attack him made the mistake of swinging down, a blow Maul countered simply by deflecting it then turning so that the deactivated end of his lightsaber was pointed at the man's face. Then he ignited the blade, smashing the man's nose and most of the area between his eyes, severing brain tendons, and the blade poked half a meter away from the dome of his skull. Maul deactivated the blade then lunged his activated one into another man's chest when he made the same mistake as his comrade. He killed six more in a similar fashion before he saw Fafnir unite the last seven and attack him by trying to circle him.

Maul had a solution to this problem by simply using a Force repulse that killed four and injured, leaving Fafnir and one other left. He finished off the injured warriors with a Force choke before decapitating the remaining minion of Fafnir's posse. Smiling, Maul chastised the poor performance he had seen in these supposed soldiers of the rebellion. "Trust me, they're nothing compared to what the generals have nor are they anything compared to me," Fafnir replied sincerely.

"What makes you so certain of that?" Maul inquired, curious. "I am one of the minor generals (the ones I've mentioned are gathered in a council that oversees the rebellion) who guard a specific region with this one being mine. My troops are out keeping these people safe while I find more recruits to aid them in that respect under the guise of a gang leader. The recruiter was real and does a fine job of persuading young men and women to join when I never could have," Fafnir explained.

"And if I kill you, what happens to them?" Maul asked. "If you are willing to take my place as the general of this region, nothing will happen. However, should you refuse and kill me anyway, the troops will have no guide and the region will be overrun with enemy soldiers from the King," Fafnir answered. Maul smiled and even started to laugh at Fafnir's most grievous error in having made this gamble with him and unfortunately, the man's stupidity hit a new low when he asked him what was so funny.

"Rooting out the rebels from within was precisely why I came here. I hoped to attract the attention of the Council, possibly become a member, then use my access to information on rebel posts to undo them from both outside and inside. Once the posts have been hit simultaneously (as has been the hopes of King Laertes for some time) the men will be so demoralized they will retreat home or surrender to the King, leaving the Generals exposed to the King and immediately put on trail for their crimes against Nyx," he answered. "You are no ordinary Dark Jedi, are you?" Fafnir asked, more rhetorical but still directed at his enemy.

"Foolish boy, I am more powerful than any Dark Jedi or even a member of the Jedi Order on Coruscant. Know that you have fought and died against the apprentice of a Sith Lord," Maul replied. Finishing Fafnir was simple now that the rage at his revealed treachery unbalanced the foolish normal man who dared to challenge him. Maul disarmed him by slicing off both of his arms and, before finishing him, said he had nonetheless made the Sith Lord proud of his fighting skill.

Then he whirled his blade around his body and sliced Fafnir in half in a horizontal fashion. Fafnir was dead before he landed on the ground and Maul was on his way back to report his success to the unknowing recruiter. And when the man heard that Fafnir and all thirty-seven of the other gangsters were dead, he wrote it down in his notes and said he would be contacting a secretary of one of the Council members immediately. "Fafnir's dream was to be a member but his death has made it true for you instead of him as he would have liked," the recruiter added before providing Maul with a fine house to sleep in for the night.

"Do you think the Council will have use for a man of my talents?" Maul asked. "More than likely, especially if you killed a minor general and thirty-seven other men with very little effort," the recruiter answered enthusiastically. He welcomed Maul to the cause which the Sith Lord thanked him for then left to make his report on his behalf. Now there was only one thing left to do: contact Laertes and report his success in infiltrating the rebellion's circle.

**When Laertes first heard **the news of Maul's success, he could not believe his ears as though they had somehow deceived him and allowed his mind to conjure an image of success on the Sith Lord's part. "How did you manage?" he asked. "I forced Archimedes to take me to a nearby village that supported the rebellion by providing fresh recruits. After that, I passed an initiation test that involved me fighting the general of the village and thirty-six other men before finally taking his title for my own and thus is how I finish my report," Maul answered.

"Do you think their Council will have enough interest in your skill to replace one of their members with you? If so, your privileges as the one who will know where all the major and minor posts are will prove very useful to me," Laertes inquired. "I'm the one who's got the connection to the Force and a double-sided lightsaber, you let me worry about whether or not they will accept me," Maul replied. "Perhaps I should not have it any other way, should I Maul?" Laertes asked to which Maul answered by shaking his head and smiling.

**"Master, Master, are you there?" **asked the familiar voice of his young apprentice. "I'm here Lord Maul, I was not expecting you at this time," Sidious answered. And it was true, he had just barely gotten back out of a meeting as Senator Palpatine of the Republic and was not anticipating a disruption from his apprentice at this hour. One from his master Plagueis would only have been expected but not his apprentice.

"As you know, I've been operating for two days but I have good news for you. I found out the truth of the rumors: Coriolanus is alive though he's added many cybernetic prostheses to his body. Secondly, I have infiltrated a minor post of the rebellion and taken over as General of the area. Within the next week or so, I should be in the Council of rebel leaders and on my way to bringing the rebellion to its knees," Maul explained.

"What in the blazes are you doing? My orders were to _protect _the King until further notice, not go destroying the rebellion as much as I admire what you've done," Sidious snarled. "The Jedi sent one of their Masters to do what I was sent to do, I couldn't afford to stick around if I didn't want to jeopardize our very existence. Besides, Laertes requested that I destroy the rebellion and on this world, no word is ignored when it comes from the King," Maul replied.

Sidious had to give him that and asked him how long he could expect before hearing about the collapse of the rebellion. "If you mean from me, within about a week or more but if you want to wait for the HoloNet News to report it, then you're looking at two weeks," Maul answered. Darth Sidious smiled knowing his apprentice had proven himself quite resourceful in this mission and even Lord Plagueis would have to admit that he was something. "Keep at it and report to me whenever you can, keep in touch with the King as much as possible but report the end results of your mission to me," he told his apprentice.

Darth Maul bowed and promised that it would be done before disconnecting the communications between them. Smiling, Sidious decided to contact Plagueis and inform him of Maul's current status in his mission. It would be worth a couple looks of surprise and admiration from the old Muun who seldom gave any expression other than the cold remorselessness Sidious had known since becoming his student. "Sidious, may I help you somehow?" Plagueis asked when he finally responded to Sidious' transmission to him.

**"No doubt that though savage,** your feat is indeed remarkable. I strongly move to add this warrior to the Council," said General Montesquieu, representing Darth Maul on the Council of leaders supervising the rebellion. "All in favor, signal by saying 'aye'," said General Guildenstern, leader of the Council and the rebel cause. Five of the seven Council members said 'aye' while only two said nay.

Though both opponents were allowed to discuss their points, mistrust of who he was being the biggest issue they had with him, the decision was made. Maul was now the eighth General of the Council as well as its youngest member to have achieved this 'prestigious' rank. However, only one of the people present for this meeting had second thoughts as to making that last. Archimedes, yearning to avenge his honor, silently vowed to find a way to make Darth Maul pay for his threats on his shuttle.

_I will bide my time warrior and when opportunity arises, I _will _strike _he thought to himself. Just then an alien force invaded his head, putting him through great pain but he knew what was going on once he heard a voice in his mind. _I would be disappointed if you did not _the voice said calmly. And it didn't take Archimedes very long to figure out Maul had been reading his thoughts like a book and had chosen this time to assure him of that section of his awesome power.

After Maul released his hold, Archimedes swore to be a little more careful about what he was his thought patterns. Especially when Maul could read his thoughts at any time he chose to do so, with or without the scientist's consent. His greatest hope though, was that he hadn't discovered Coriolanus… yet.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"So father, in spite of the fact that I once served you I must inform you that you are now my servant. Do you understand this?" Laertes asked. "Of course I do, it is what Archimedes made clear to me before I returned to your life," Coriolanus answered. "Then I have an assignment for you that will prove if what Archimedes has said about your-improvements-holds water or if it has been exaggerated," Laertes said.

"I am prepared to do what I must to prove myself to you as I had once been required to prove myself to my father before I could ascend to what was once mine," Coriolanus replied. "Very good, now let us begin: there is an important supply base I need protected from rebels who would sabotage my efforts to aid the civilians affected by their violent attacks meant for me. I will give you the coordinates then expect you to hold out for two weeks which will be long enough for the rebels to give up and sabotage lines more easily defended than this one," Laertes said. "You have at least eight supply lines with the same purpose, what makes this one so special?" Coriolanus asked.

"This is the one that is essential for the others ones do continue to exist, without it the others have nothing to give to the innocent civilians who will then surely aid the rebellion in their efforts to destroy me. And as you guessed, that is something I cannot have happening while I am still the King of the entire Erebus system," Laertes answered. "Then I will obey my lord's command and return victoriously," Coriolanus said with a practiced bow. "I will expect nothing less if you wish to prove Archimedes right in his intriguing claims of your capabilities as a warrior," Laertes agreed.

**From the artificial eye **he had inserted into Coriolanus, Archimedes watched the events of his plan unfold before him. _In the end, the rebellion _I _helped create may be destroyed but what does it matter so long as I destroy the King and bring the attention of the Jedi? I know Darius Othone does not want me yet but maybe he will after I complete my plan _he thought. He hoped that would be the case since the representative of the Jedi Order was already here and Archimedes needed their attention if he was to continue with his plans for the Republic.

And the only person he had to thank for orchestrating all of this was that Muun with the breathing mask that covered half his face. It was a pity that such an otherwise perfect man would have such an imperfection that led to their only communications being in holographic transmissions on secure channels. But still, he had to wonder why the Muun would want Laertes destroyed and what benefit it would do him. Unfortunately, he had voiced this before and had only received the promise of knowing with time.

**From high above, on the balcony **of his headquarters, Darth Maul looked out at the rebellion's capital and was disappointed by what it amounted to in comparison to Laertes' city Sparta. In fact, it was a piece of shit by comparison though he never cared to say so aloud to his fellow Councilmen. The streets were littered with trash, feces, and urine stains from the local drunks (six of whom Maul had had to kill when they agitated him and two of whom he had severely maimed to make an example of them), and near-completely naked women who often offered themselves to men who would leave them beaten, bruised, and/or bleeding when they were through for merely enough credits for a scrap living. The worst part was that it never changed no matter how much time passed and Maul wished he could simply end the rebellion and have it over with.

Unfortunately, he could not do that until the Council decided to trust him with their information on all the major outposts and supply lines they had. _Makes little if any difference whether they decide now or decide in two months though. The rebellion won't last more than a year with the way this is presently going _Maul told himself repeatedly. Unless they had something planned that they didn't want him to know until it was too late to stop it.

**For four days, **Coriolanus had been camped out at the outpost on which his son had requested his supervision. Though now the cybernetic servant of Archimedes that would eventually turn on his own son in exchange for regaining his throne, Coriolanus found something familiar about this particular place and about the way the people looked at him whenever he passed by. He wasn't quite sure what it was but he was indeed sure it had something to do with his past but how? When Archimedes had awakened him, he had no memory of anything that had happened to him except for Claudius' betrayal and escaping the top of his tower just in time for the explosion to burn most of his body and force the amputation of his arm, hand, and lower body.

He thought about all that had happened to him until a young recruit, fresh out of school by his look, told him that three dozen rebels were approaching from the north pass. Using the artificial eye, he spied the rebels but he also spied a bigger group amassed in South. "That's not all we're in for," he said before mentioning the southern group to the young soldier. "What do we do, sir?" he asked.

"Deal with the southern passage, I'll handle the northern one. Besides, the north was meant to be a distraction for us at any rate," Coriolanus answered. The sergeant did as he was told with both speed and efficiency, strengthening the resolve of his fellow soldiers as well as himself. Using his eye yet again, he retraced the rebels and aimed so that he could shoot them down but instead of pulling out a blaster, he simply extended a clenched fist and watched as it began to glow until it released a bolt that was fatter but faster and deadlier than a regular blaster bolt.

The first soldier to go down lost his entire head to its power and collapsed with his neck completely gone and the wound near-instantly cauterized by the searing heat of the bolt. Coriolanus took no time to examine that before proceeding to do the same thing to the next soldier that was closest to him though the man was still meters away from reaching his position. The rebels had come through the pass hoping for a victory but instead, they managed only to land in a slaughter as they would soon discover when all of Coriolanus' soldiers were able to focus on the main army while Coriolanus himself dealt with the distraction. Twenty more of the distraction squad were slaughtered in the same brutal way as the first man before the rest decided to retreat despite leaving their comrades to their deaths against Coriolanus' focused, experienced, superior soldiers.

Victory was his but Coriolanus had a strong feeling that this would be the only victory he would achieve. After all, it took the rebels four days to come up with such a force and it wasn't likely they would be able to come up with it again judging by what Laertes had said about their weakening influence, funds, supplies, and able-bodied men for their cause. It was originally Laertes' intention to just slowly melt the rebellion away so as to show that the power of the monarchy lied not only in its military but in its King's ability to patiently test the strength of his enemy and see if he could wear them out _before _going on the attack. However, Coriolanus' suggestion to just finish them off now that they were too weak to do little more than protest and protect their bases from his military might.

Laertes liked that idea and said that he already had been brewing military strength for a pronged attack that would involve attacking at least half of the bases in simultaneity so that no general in the rebellion could send help to his comrades without risking an opening in his own defenses and possible defeat. "Once I destroy enough bases that way, there will be only one thing for them to do: abandon all bases beside their capital one and hope their united numbers will give them some chance against me. It's then that I intend to wipe them out… all of them," he added. "But why?" Coriolanus asked.

"I have been polite to the leaders of the rebellion for too long and have offered too many chances at diplomacy. They deliberately spat in my face at all of those chances thus making their choice, now all I have to do is merely grant them their wish for death. I will leave a trail of blood in my wake that says to any other dissidents that I am a benevolent King to those who treat me with the respect of my office but dangerous to those who do not," Laertes answered. Coriolanus could somewhat relate to that, remembering how bloody his own rise to power had been long before he met Laertes' mother.

It was during one of those battles that one of his enemies gouged out the eye that was now replaced by the prosthetic one Archimedes had given him. Smiling, he liked that at least one of his sons had some behavioral resemblance to him though he felt that the Coriolanus Draco who had fathered, Juliet II, Laertes, Helena, Claudius, and Ophelia had long died. In his place was this cyborg with only one desire: gain some measure of revenge against Laertes and Claudius for their betrayal against him. And it was about time he was given the chance to begin his quest for revenge if anyone was to ask him how he felt about finally being this close to his son for the first time in more than a decade.

**Archimedes didn't know how** many bases Laertes intended to attack but that didn't matter. He knew Maul intended to turn over all the confidential information the rebellion stored straight to the King once he had access, destroying the rebellion within a matter of weeks rather than months. If he didn't somehow manage to warn the Generals of what Maul was intending to do to help Laertes, it would be the undoing of his plans as he would have to move a lot sooner than he would've wished. However, there was no way to convict Maul of treason until the mysterious warrior laid his hands on the information and Archimedes had no way of knowing if that happened from his base in the mountains since the rebellion trusted no one to the point of even blocking his transmissions.

This would mean having to return to the rebels' base and literally have one on one contact with the very Generals that had forced him to leave: Montesquieu and Octavian, the ladder of whom was the current leader of the rebellion Archimedes had created. Just then, he had received a call from the Muun who had inspired him to create the rebellion in the first place. "Archimedes you look hurried, am I keeping you from some pressing matter?" he asked. "Yes and no mister, it's just this Zabrak named Maul has joined the rebellion and become one of the Generals on the Council but I get the feeling he's going to destroy the very rebellion I created before I can even complete my plans," Archimedes answered.

"Allow him this victory, the rebellion was never meant to overthrow Laertes whether I made you think so or not. Nor were _you _meant to live this long and see it blossom and rotting," the Muun said calmly. "What the hell are you talking about, Muun?" Archimedes inquired. "I will tell you but unfortunately, you'll have to cancel your flight after hearing this unless you'd like to die much sooner than I wish you to do that for me," the Muun assured him, like a coaxing parent goading a child with a treat that was never there to start with.

**Montesquieu went to visit **the chambers of the Council's latest addition to tell him good news. It had been long and hard but in the end, the move to do what had been done was worth it. And the Zabrak had no idea the surprise he was in for when Montesquieu told him what he had to tell him. "Yes, how can I help you?" Maul asked after answering the door.

"Maul, I have great news that you will be more than eager to hear," Montesquieu said. "Then let's hear it," Maul replied. "You have been allowed access to all of our confidential files and can withdraw the information for any purpose you so desire," Montesquieu shouted. "That is good news indeed," Darth Maul said, surprise visible on his red and black face.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Maul had what he needed and faked surprise though not gratitude to assure that it seemed good to both him and the other Generals. Immediately he went into the research center and began digging into the classified files. Though he had everything he needed, one particular file intrigued him and it was one that told of something called "the Monster" which had been a weapon created by the Council of Mystics, who presently resided in the Palace with King Laertes, as a means of protecting the people of Nyx from invaders on the neighboring world of Ares, warlike people who grew disgusted with the peaceful ways preached by the King of Nyx at that ancient time. Initially, the beast presented no problem and was easy for the thirteen members of the Council to manipulate but in time, it grew so powerful and free-willed from its days as a weapon against the Arian people that the Mystics combined their power to seal it away in the Underworld.

Since that day, twelve thousand years before the birth of the Draco family, the Monster had been lying dormant and patient. It fueled on the war, bloodshed, hate, and fear of the people of Nyx growing stronger as they weakened. Worse, it was said that all would be needed for it to be free was the death of a King of Nyx since it was the King's sacrifice that helped the Mystics seal it away twelve millennia ago. Maul feared that Archimedes had founded this rebellion and made the plans he made to kill the King just so he could unleash the beast upon this world and see what its capabilities were.

From there it didn't take him long to conclude that if powerful enough, the Monster would become Archimedes' weapon against the rest of the galaxy with the Republic and its Jedi being his most powerful foe. Though shortsighted compared to the goals of Claudius' interdimensional travels, it was still something not to be trifled with by any means. Maul knew that though destroying the rebellion would probably hasten the Monster's return to this world, it was something that had to be done before it could aid them in finishing off Laertes' dynasty. He had to be fast about transferring those files to Laertes then just as fast in finding Archimedes and somehow dispatching him before he could tell Coriolanus to kill Laertes and release the Monster unto Nyx.

He needed to silence the little man before he could complete his plans and stop Maul from completing his own. Saving the file about the Monster and Archimedes' obsession with releasing it to a datacard for later examination, Maul pulled out another one and began downloading the files about the outposts and the names of the Generals involved with the rebellion as well as its greatest supporters besides Archimedes himself. After completing that business in the research center, he marched back to his headquarters with as huge an attempt to not hurry as possible since hurrying would lure unwanted suspicion of his secret activities. He reminded himself that the Sith were about secrecy and patience, not rash and impulsive action.

Reaching his headquarters, he immediately secured the line in which he wished to speak with Laertes and sent the transmission almost immediately. "Maul, I haven't heard from you in almost four weeks, what's going on?" Laertes asked, surprised to see Maul alive and well. "Firstly, I'm a member of the Council of Generals in the rebellion and second, I have the information about all of their most important outposts and cities on a transferable datacard and I'm sending it to you as we speak," Maul answered. "Excellent, my troops are getting ready for when I give them the order to do my eight-pronged attack which will force them to unite the troops in their four remaining bases for one final stand against my army," Laertes said with zeal.

"One more thing while the files are downloading, I know why Archimedes created the rebellion. He wants to release this thing called 'The Monster' upon this world and he's been using the rebellion to do precisely that as well as bring about your death thus assuring its release. Archimedes has been planning this ever since he started the rebellion and left it just so he could continue working on his own schemes for your demise at his hand," Maul explained. "Then it is as I feared, I banished him for precisely what you speak of when he became too obsessive about finding the creature and releasing it just for the sake of testing its power against my people," Laertes said.

"I assumed that he intended to use it against the Republic once it proved successful against you, wouldn't that sound like him?" Maul asked. Laertes nodded grimly and added that Archimedes had always been selfish and power hungry though he was still just a weakly coward. "In that case, I will have to destroy him before he can release the Monster," Maul said. "No, not until we know if it's the rebellion we should be worried about or if that cyborg he gave me was the one sent to destroy me," Laertes said, adding that even though Coriolanus had proven himself a worthy servant Laertes still didn't trust Archimedes' sincerity. "Look into that and do what you can on that end, fight Coriolanus if you have to but do the best you can to find out before that happens," Maul agreed.

"I've got all the information, I'll begin dispatching my troops immediately to the coordinates you've put in," Laertes said after a short moment of silence. "I wish you luck in dispatching the rebels before Archimedes has a chance to release the Monster back on to your world. Remember, the galaxy may be at stake if he should release it and let it rampage across Nyx," Maul replied. Laertes nodded then disconnected the transmission between himself and Maul to begin making the necessary arrangements.

**"Calling all high-ranked **Generals in the Nyx military, meet me in the Chamber of Military Affairs immediately. We have ourselves a chance at victory but we must begin planning it quickly," Laertes said on an intercom that transmitted his message on speakers across the entire palace. If there were any Generals in the immediate vicinity, they would hear his call and head to the chamber immediately. In the meantime, he had to tell the Mystics of Maul's revelations about 'the Monster' and Archimedes' ongoing intent to release it.

Luckily, their chambers were not too far from his own and could be instantly accessed should he need their council as they had never left the Palace since sealing the Monster away twelve thousand years ago. Or so the ancient myth went but Laertes was not about to put that to the test anytime soon if he could help it. Arriving at the Chamber of the Mystics, Laertes was immediately reminded of the power he had first felt emanating from them when he was a little boy and Coriolanus would bring him in during his meetings with the mysterious old men. "Wise Mystics, I have come before you once again with a problem only you would know how to solve amongst all of us: Archimedes, a scientist I banished to the far reaches of Nyx, threatens to unleash 'the Monster' and may very well succeed," Laertes explained.

He added that he had come to the Mystics, seeking their help in case the Monster was indeed released from its confines in the dark Underworld. "We have sensed this for years, even before Archimedes became obsessed with finding the Monster and freeing him. Our power is fading with the lack of faith in our abilities that your people show. For twelve thousand years, we believed the Monster to be imprisoned forever but soon he will be breaking free," the eldest, Father Tiberius, said.

"What can we do?" Laertes asked. "Once you finish with the rebellion, you can reassemble your army and prepare to meet it at the mountains near Archimedes' lair in case it is successfully released. In the meantime, we will make our own preparations to face it and will be sure to notify you when we are ready for the battle," Tiberius answered. "What do you intend to do?" Laertes inquired.

"Our ancestors defeated the Monster by combining their powers in the body of just the body of their leader. As our code forbids us all from working together against the Monster, it is our deepest hope that perhaps we can defeat it in this same way once more," Tiberius said, his voice a little too calm (or cynical) for Laertes to remain unnerved by it. "Let me know when you're ready and when the rebels are defeated, we'll escort you to the place of the Monster's containment for a battle with it," the King said before leaving the cold chamber behind him. Though it was nice to get out of there, Laertes knew that any Generals who had heard his announcement would be waiting in the Chamber of Military Affairs for him.

But then there was just one more thing to do before he could meet them and it would be quick. Reaching into his robe pocket, he pulled out a comlink that Darius had given him when he arrived. "Master Othone, meet me at the dining hall tonight. I have something I may need you to do for me," Laertes said into it before being greeted with a reply stating that Darius would be meeting him tonight.

**Archimedes arrived at the rebel **capital city and was displeased by the amount of commotion in the city. However, he couldn't let it distract him lest he fail to reach the Generals in time to warn them of possible treachery from the Zabrak they had taken in as one of them. Unfortunately though, Montesquieu and Octavian were both away on business at the other bases but he was taken to General Virgil, a man of few but wise words who listened to Archimedes no matter how insane his stories may sound. "Virgil, dear friend, I need your help now more than ever: I fear that your newest member may be the spy that rumor says Laertes sent to destroy us all," he explained.

Though Virgil listened as Archimedes added that Maul had threatened him with death to get to the recruiter, killed nearly forty rebels as a test of initiation, and revealed little about himself, what he had to say astounded the scientist. "Firstly, what proof do you have of his treachery? Secondly, those rebel soldiers made their choice when they decided to sacrifice their lives so he could be recruited and you revealed very little about yourself at the start of our fight against the King," the silent General said. "But Virgil, those days were different; back then, we could trust each other with no reservation but now he has come and he's had me on edge ever since you elected him a member," Archimedes replied.

"I never supported his rise to the Council, I even said that it was too swift to be appropriate or wise for that matter. However, Octavian and Montesquieu are both the governing minds of the rebellion and have been ever since you left to pursue your own ends. You could still return to our fold though, you never committed treason against the rebellion and funded us with money, supplies, and ammunition when no one else could," Virgil countered. "No, not when I'm so close to completing the goals I vowed I would complete when I left the rebellion," Archimedes said.

"Then my friend, I have done all I can to aid you in your suspicions of our newest Council initiate," Virgil replied, his face grim with pity for his friend. "You could petition to have Maul investigated for any suspicious activity, could you not?" Archimedes asked. "Perhaps but at least four other Generals would have to agree with me in order for it to be considered. And in the hype of this newbie's feat, the Generals are still unwilling to do anything about him," Virgil answered.

"Not even investigate him and make sure his loyalty is solely with the rebellion?" Archimedes insisted. Virgil shook his head and added it would be a violation of rebellion law that could easily earn him a one-way ticket to suspension of his privileges for at least a month. _That's not the kind of time I have if what I believe about that Zabrak turns out to be true _Archimedes said to himself. He thanked Virgil for his help and left him to return to the poetry he was working on. Of all the things Archimedes came to learn and understand during this rebellion's existence, how Virgil found time to write poetry and why he did was still far beyond him. And perhaps it would always remain beyond him considering he was no poet himself compared to the great Virgil whose poetry had caused his exile as it was anti-Laertes in its spirit.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Jedi Master Othone sensed something was up long before he knew what it was. But when he knew the cause for the racket downstairs as well as the soldiers rushing with their weapons toward the front of the Palace, he didn't like what he suspected it was. "Master Othone, would you care to join us in our final efforts to crush the rebellion? We now have the means to do it and are preparing our troops to fulfill my plans," Laertes asked, dressed in full battle armor with the cyborg Coriolanus next to him.

"How could I refuse the wish of his Majesty? Besides, it is my honor to continue to serve and protect you," Darius replied with false enthusiasm. "I'm pleased to hear your willingness to cooperate, the Mystics are readying for the battle in case we need them and their leader will be out to join us in a few short moments. In the meantime, would you like to walk beside my father and me as we march to our ultimate victory?" Laertes continued.

"What has you so confident after so many assassination attempts on you?" Darius inquired. "That was when I didn't know the locations of all twelve of their bases plus their capital city. Before then, it seemed as though they came out of nowhere and disappeared back into it unless I managed to kill them. Now, thanks to a spy I have inside, I have the chance to destroy them all in a manner that won't allow them to unite their forces until they're too weak to fight me even if they did unite their forces against me," Laertes explained.

_A spy within their defenses, could that be the murderer of Ozymandias whose somehow managed to escape me for this long? _Darius asked himself silently. Perhaps coming on this mission would help him find out if that was true. Unless this was precisely what the murderer wanted him to do in order to remain on the run from him. _Only way to be sure is join Laertes and see if the man or woman will show up to the battlefield with our troops _he told himself reluctantly.

After he agreed to leave with King Laertes and Coriolanus, Darius returned to his room and sent out a transmission to Coruscant. "Master Othone, glad to see you alive I am," said Master Yoda finally received his transmission. "I am glad to see you too Master Yoda, however, I must deliver the news of my mission to you quickly," Othone said rapidly. "Then deliver your news, you must," Yoda replied.

"Firstly, it seems as though my mission to aid and protect Laertes is nearing an end. However, I'm still investigating the murder of Ozymandias and I believe that Laertes will lead me right to him in the battle we are about to commit to. It may be my only shot in my remaining years to also gain any clues as to my suspicions about the possible return of the Sith," Othone explained. "Then may the Force be with you on this last detail of your mission," Yoda said.

Othone bowed then disconnected the transmission to Coruscant, but wondered if it would be the last time he would see Yoda or any of the Jedi. He wondered if he would ever return alive from this mission or if he would return at all. After all, he had had premonitions of a man with Zabrak horns (from anywhere but Iridonia), red and black markings, and a double-sided lightsaber striking him down with light blue rays of Force lightning. If this was indeed the man behind the death of Ozymandias, he would surely want to cut any loose ends and that included Master Othone.

And why wouldn't he want to if Othone endangered his identity or the identity of a possible client with his presence on Nyx? _Maybe it's just paranoid delusions from having an aged mind. But the vision was so real when it came to me during the night, I don't think I would have needed to tell Yoda for him to see it on my face _he thought in silence. He decided at last to meditate on it whilst traveling to the site of the final stand of the rebels that had been threatening Laertes' life for months.

**Archimedes couldn't believe that Virgil **would refuse to help him after all they had been through together. For as long as Archimedes could remember, his olden friend had stood by his side and helped him through every adventure they had had since Archimedes arrived to Nyx nearly two decades ago when he had been banished from the Republic space. His only hope was that he was wrong about his suspicions of treachery on Maul's part because if not, the rebellion would soon be in huge trouble whether anyone believed his claims or not. To make matters worse, the Muun had told him that he no longer had use for the rebellion or Archimedes and that both would soon be disposed of.

"I'm securing all my loose ends in this matter and though it pains me saying it that _includes _you. Nothing personal, it's just proper business when it comes to something on this bloated scale. I never intended for the rebellion to reach this cancerous point but it will soon be cut off at the source plus you never paid off your debts to me so I am only taking proper precautions to prevent further disappointment from you," he explained before disconnecting and cutting off Archimedes' ability to transmit messages outside of the planet. Sad thing was that was the scientist's only line to the outside galaxy and the damned Muun had cut it off like it was nothing and he had no backup one installed.

"Curse you Hego Damask! Curse you and your damned Damask Holdings to whatever hell they're may be waiting for dishonest bankers like you!" Archimedes cursed aloud. Luckily, no one was around to hear him say that and ask neither who Hego Damask was nor what Damask Holdings was. Nonetheless, Archimedes knew only one thing: that his fate was inevitably sealed forever.

**Darth Maul packed what few things **he had brought and prepared to leave. With his mission inside the rebellion completed, he was ready to return to Laertes and see the end of this petty rebellion. But unfortunately, he was stopped by Virgil just as he was about to leave and asked what had him leaving so soon. "Oh I felt compelled to return to my base in case the King sent any troops there, it would be one of the first to be attacked if that were to happen," he said.

The first part was not true as Maul had already destroyed that base and slaughtered the people in the village with the help of his troops before killing them too. However, the second part would have been true if it still remained as it was on the very border of rebel territory and he would have to go by it on his way back regardless of what he had already done to it. "Very well, can't say I blame you for being homesick after spending weeks in this wretched place. I never even liked this city and anyway and was always glad to go back home," Virgil explained in agreement.

"I'm guessing there's a catch to this if that's what you're implying, isn't there?" Maul asked. "Montesquieu has ordered all high ranking Generals to stay here until he has come to a decision about whether or not to move against the King. It's going to be at least a week before he makes any decisions about it and I'm not looking forward to it any more than you are," Virgil answered with a nod. "That is one week I cannot afford to wait on," Maul replied.

"Stop, I have the authority to forcibly take you in much as I hate the idea. Unless Archimedes was right and you are the traitor we're looking for," Virgil ordered. "You have no idea who you are talking to, old man. I don't want to hurt you but if I have to do anything, I will definitely be doing more than that," Maul snarled.

"Come with me traitor, very nice and very easy or I _will _kill you instead," Virgil warned calmly. "Don't be so certain," Maul replied before igniting one end of his lightsaber and beheading Virgil in a single, fluid stroke of the blood-red blade. "I'm sorry," Maul said, something he never said before, as Virgil's head rolled across the cold floor. Then he walked off into the blackness of the night, never to be seen again by any amongst the rebels.

Maul knew it wouldn't take long for someone to find Virgil's decapitated body nor did he intend to make it very long. All he intended to do was leave the base and head back to the King and report success to his master before returning to Coruscant. Assuming, of course, that the Jedi Knight named Othone didn't interfere with his departure and Archimedes failed to release the Monster as he had threatened. However, it was those two things that compelled him to stay on Nyx a little while longer just to make sure they didn't occur and make sure they weren't loose ends in his mission.

**With the rebellion doomed, there was **only one thing left to do for Doctor Archimedes. In order to ensure that the Monster was released, he had to usher in the final stages of his plans much quicker than planned but it was still possible. Accessing the computer he used to control Coriolanus, he saw the old man was next to his son. "Coriolanus, kill Laertes for the sake of the rebellion!" he ordered.

_That Muun bastard thinks he can just dispose of Archimedes, doesn't he? Now he will know the true power of the Monster I intend to release unto this wretched planet _he vowed to himself. The good thing about releasing the Monster was that even if Coriolanus failed to assassinate Laertes, it would only require the death of a King plus the massacre of thousands of rebels to release the beast from its chains under the ground. Smiling, Archimedes enjoyed the fact that now he could just sit back and wait for the Monster to send the war and conflict, absorb the soul of one of the Kings, and come to life as symbolized by the glowing orange-red light he was told to expect from the beast.

**Laertes was set up along the north **pass that led into the Apollo Plains with one hundred and twenty thousand troops when he was informed of the good news he expected. "Sir, the men you sent ahead are set up at the eight nearest rebel bases from your position. Shall we commence with the attack?" asked General Perseus with much excitement in his old voice. "Yes dear old friend, begin the attack and do not stop until not a single rebel soldier so much as crawls across the ground," he answered.

A messenger came up to him after that and informed him that only seventy-five hundred rebels guarded the northern pass and there was only that one route to and from the capital city of the scum. "Go in but making sure to keep them under pressure with as much firepower as you can. Try to make them retreat into the plains on the other side if possible before deciding to destroy them in the pass itself," Laertes ordered. "Are you going to lead this one lord?" the messenger asked courteously.

"No, that will not be necessary and I only want to see their 'capital city' before I destroy it completely," he answered. The messenger bowed and left him alone after hearing those angry, hate-fueled comments from his liege. And just as he turned to go see the Mystic in his personal tent, six of his guards fell to blades that looked like they had been shot out of something but with deadly speed and accuracy. He turned to see Coriolanus raise his left arm in front of his face and eject twelve more that killed the last of his guard and left them alone with each other.

"So Archimedes did resurrect you to kill me after all, didn't he?" Laertes asked, unsurprised. "You and Claudius will both face my wrath for betraying me the way you did all those years ago," Coriolanus blatantly replied. "Good thing I saw to it that you had no lasers to use against me if this were to happen. Guess it was wise of me to mistrust you and Archimedes despite you proving your loyalty to me," Laertes stated. Coriolanus picked up two swords from the fallen soldiers and pointed them at his son. Reluctantly, Laertes drew the Sword of the King and launched the first attack in their painful fight.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Othone heard the conflict long before he saw Coriolanus Draco attacking his own son with two swords stolen from guards killed in defending Laertes. "No Jedi, do not interfere in this matter!" Laertes shouted when he heard Othone ignite his lightsaber and prepare to lunge at the King's dangerous assailant. "He will kill you if I do not!" Othone shouted back to Laertes. "Better that than not having an honorable fight as the Code of Nyx requires of any King," Laertes replied before resuming the fight with his cyborg father.

It was while Othone was thinking about what to do that he felt slight vibrations under the earth. He wasn't sure what to make of them and decided to see if there was something underground that was moving. Placing his fingers on the dirt, he connected with the Force and used the nerves on his fingertips as substitute ears to listen to the ground. What he was hearing however, was beyond anything he could possibly comprehend.

**The Monster revealed signs of life **shortly after Archimedes gave the order for Coriolanus to kill Laertes. Smiling, he watched as red lines slowly faded to life across the beast's entire body and even saw the beginnings of movement in its red eyes. "After many years of searching and planning, at last, I will be able to use your power to take revenge first on Laertes then on the rest of the galaxy!" Archimedes declared with excitement. The beast made a low reverberating growl and Archimedes told it to feed on the souls of the rebels and use them to hasten its return to the world above until it obtained the soul of a King.

Using a device he had tinkered with and perfected over the years, the Monster was feeding on the souls of the dead at an excessively fast rate that impressed Archimedes. He was disappointed when even after the rebels had been pushed to their capital city and were being wiped out, he still needed the soul of a King to free the creature. _Guess some things just can't be changed by a device you plug up to a beast thought to be of magic but is merely a machine fueled by the magic of the Mystics _he thought silently. However, as he took a closer look at the beast, he noticed it was not mechanical but biomechanical, making it a cyborg like Coriolanus only much more massive.

Nonetheless, as more than three hundred thousand rebels were massacred, Archimedes managed to use their souls to free all but the creature's arms and he assumed this way it needed the soul of a King to leave its prison behind. With the strength of only a King's soul, it could pull itself out and threaten the world again and since Archimedes had pitched two against each other it would only be a matter of time before the victor provided the Monster with that one last soul. He decided to check up on Coriolanus while he waited for the delivery of that necessary soul and was impressed to see that the cyborg had pushed Laertes to the Lava Fields of Vulcan. Unless Laertes had something in mind, it looked like Coriolanus was going to push him into one of the lava pools and be the one to provide the soul of a vanquished King which put a smile on Archimedes' face.

**Laertes had fought for his life **thus far and managed to work up a plan to defeat his father. It was dangerous but he had faith that he could pull it off if everything went right as it presently was. "Father, I was not the one who betrayed you and tried to kill you! Don't you remember any of that?" he asked, hoping there was still a chance to stop this duel peacefully. "I do remember but I also remember who helped him pull off such a treacherous stunt," Coriolanus answered.

"I had nothing to do with Claudius' plot to kill you and leave the throne to me! If it weren't for him, I would have been content to wait until you passed away peacefully before ascending to the Throne you would've left," Laertes replied. Of course, the first part was a lie as he had helped Claudius set the traps months before Claudius launched the final stages of his plan to bring peace to the planet. Unfortunately, Coriolanus knew this too and called Laertes out on his bluff for all it was worth to either man.

However, Laertes did not lie about the second part and indeed would have been content to wait his turn were it not for Claudius' enticing plot. Had Coriolanus believed his first bluff, he would have added that Claudius was the real enemy and not him all that time. That would also have been true if revenge was what Coriolanus sought for their treacherous conspiracy against him. But he did admit that the reasons for his joining Claudius were nearly identical to Claudius' reasons for starting it.

As he now fought the man who helped conceive him in his mother's womb and had trained him how to fight with a sword from the time he could stand, he exhaled a sigh of regret as he prepared for the final part of his plan. Just before Coriolanus could slash across his abdomen with both of his blades, Laertes jumped over him and slashed him vertically across his back. Then he landed back on his feet and kicked his father in the same place, causing Coriolanus to trip over a rock and plunge into one of the lava pools that had been behind Laertes. As he watched his father burn and sink in the lava, Laertes looked back and apologized for his deed as sincerely as he could possibly do so.

Coriolanus Draco had been his son's hero as well as his father. It was this man who had taught him right from wrong, told him about how to rule wisely and gave examples of ancestors who had not. This man was the man who gave Laertes his own reason for loving his wife and unborn twins as Coriolanus had tried to take revenge against his own father on behalf of Laertes' mother. But most importantly, this man brought the one woman who kept the family united and happy when nothing else did: the late ex-Princess Ophelia.

**Darius Othone remained at the camp **and could not understand why the vibrations had increased instead of mellowing out. Again, he put his fingers to the ground but felt a presence moving and shaking its way free from the soft underground. He realized that this was something far bigger than a mere plate moving across the planet: it was the Monster Laertes said was mentioned by his spy in the rebellion. He wondered who this spy was and if he truly was loyal to Laertes alone or if there was some other reason he did all this.

**Maul sensed the disruptions in the earth long before **he saw the source of them. Traveling on his speeder _Bloodfin_, he saw a massive hand surge its way out of the ground and slap smack down near him and destroying entire mountains as it did so. In the distance, he saw yet another hand rise out of the mountain in that same exact way and destroy even more mountains and leaving only a couple dozen between them. _This could only mean one thing: Archimedes has succeeded in releasing the Monster from its confines _he thought to himself as he raised the speed on his speeder as fast as he could make it go.

Rocks more than five times Maul's size barely missed hitting him and one even managed to tear off bits of his cloak. However, he made it safely out of the danger zone and decided to inform Laertes that he was on his way to meet up with him. When Laertes finally answered the transmission, he reminded Maul about the flag he had given him before he left and told him to wave it when he encountered the soldiers of the King so he didn't get accidentally shot at by them. Maul nodded and told him he would be meeting him soon but Laertes warned him of the Jedi and added that Othone was presently in his company.

"Then I will try to avoid being spotted as best I can, I'll even see if I can find a way to your tent that involves going around where he will surely be," he said. "Sounds good to me but remember, I'm not helping you out if he decides to attack you if he finds you. I'm even pretending you came to kill me just so he doesn't suspect me of treachery if that makes it interesting for you," Laertes replied. "That will be the perfect excuse for me to have some real fun instead of more rebel rabble," Maul stated before disconnecting the transmission.

**Laertes chuckled at Maul's reply **about how they would deal with the Jedi Master Othone. Why Maul had such an interest in killing Jedi remained beyond the King but he had no doubt that it had at least partly to do with Ophelia. He had seen the way Maul held back in telling him about her death and Claudius' confinement on Coruscant until Laertes insisted for long enough and patiently enough. Laertes even took it a step further and guessed that since the Jedi Codex strictly forbid love, Maul also was angered by how she could not explicitly express her love for him.

Laertes could understand that very well as he was sure there was no way he could live with such a rule intact and enforced in his daily life. "Your Majesty, something has risen from the ground with dark intentions for this planet. I can feel it through the Force!" Othone said, interrupting his thoughts. "If you can feel it through the Force then you are sensing what we know only as 'the Monster', an elemental, biomechanical beast created by the Mystics in the Forgotten Times of our history," Laertes explained.

"What can it do?" Othone asked. "Long ago, when it was created, the people of the neighboring moon of Ares attacked our world and were on the verge of conquering us when the Mystics created a weapon meant to counter their seemingly invincible armies and armadas. Instead, we created a being that wiped out their entire race, destroyed all of their artifacts, and left their moon a lifeless husk of what it once was before it turned on us also. Thirteen Mystics gathered and twelve sacrificed their lives to give their Master immortality as well as the power to seal the Monster away forever.

"For more than a decade, Archimedes has been obsessed with releasing it for the sake of finding out whether its power would be of use to him in his plot to avenge his exile by order of the Supreme Chancellor. From what you're saying and if the earthquakes are signs, it would appear that Archimedes has succeeded in his life's greatest dream," Laertes answered. "The beast will be coming out of the ground at any moment, won't it?" Othone inquired. "Thanks to the death of my father, as the soul of a King is required to completely free it, it will be if it's not a myth as he believes," the King replied grimly.

Just then, a soldier came in and told Laertes that something had burst its way out of the mountains and was climbing out of the ground as they stood speaking. "Looks like Archimedes was right when he said it wasn't a myth. Lure the Monster toward the rebel capital, maybe it can do our work for us before we have the Mystic destroy it," Laertes ordered. "Are you mad?" Othone asked, bewildered.

"Why not? If what the Mystics say about its powers is true, it could take the chore of finishing the rebels off our hands. Besides, our remaining Mystic will need to be able to attack its supposed weakness on the back of its neck after it destroys the rebel city," Laertes asked back at the Jedi. "You are a fool if you believe you can destroy it if it feeds on destruction as is demonstrated through it absorbing the souls of the dead and making them its fuel," Othone stated.

"It's not a deity of destruction otherwise that would be true therefore, it only feeds on the souls of the dead rather than the destruction it causes. We can defeat it if we can just get to its weakness in the back of its neck then let the Mystic have at it," Laertes replied. Othone was about to storm out but he stopped in his track and groaned in pain, saying it was due to him sensing a dark presence through the Force. "I think it's time you met my spy without whom none of this would have been possible," said Laertes with enthusiasm.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Maul, meet Jedi Master Darius Othone and Darius Othone, meet Maul. You see Othone, unlike you Jedi, Maul had no reservation about going behind enemy lines and destroying them from the inside. Plus he does have a grudge against you Jedi for forcing my sister to hide her love for him when they collaborated to bring our brother Claudius to Republic justice," Laertes said. "So this is the dark warrior that left her lightsaber at the foot of our Temple with the note on the hilt?" Othone asked.

"I was surprised I could even pull it off myself," Maul answered. Darius noted the tone and suspected that it wasn't fear for being detected so much as a mere disgust for the very ways of the Jedi. He also noticed from Maul's body language that Laertes had lied through his teeth about the Zabrak not holding a grudge against them for what happened with Ophelia. "We don't have to do this, your Majesty," he began.

"On the contrary, it is a _necessity _as a result of what your precious Jedi Code did to my sister in her final hours. And since Maul would rather strike you down then speak about it, let me tell you," Laertes interrupted. Darius had a feeling he wasn't going to avoid this so he let the King continue. "As I recall Maul telling me when he finally revealed the status of my sister, she had come to love him despite the fact that he was normally just a cold-blooded killer and had even killed her Master shortly before they met (yes he did kill Master Odette).

"She loved him like she had loved no other man before and even offered herself to him just for a chance to be with him. But your precious Code forbid the act be carried out and Ophelia slowly withered until she had a chance to make up for it at Heraklion Prime. Following your Code, as well as her own heart, she fought our brother Claudius while Maul was down and gave her life so he could defeat Claudius, obliterate Lord Vitiate, and bring the former man to Republic Justice! Your Code cost me a sister but it cost him the only person who would probably ever love him in his life," Laertes explained, fiery anger just beneath the surface of his already snarling voice and clenched fists.

"She loved this savage beast despite what he did to her Master?" Darius asked, surprise clearly emanating from his tongue. "Yes, she saw good in him when even you Jedi did not and most certainly wouldn't. Now that I have told you the story, allow me to turn you over to Maul so he can unleash the passionate fury he's stored up for precisely an occasion like this," Laertes answered. It was then that Maul ignited one side of his lightsaber and attacked with all the power he could give to the demands of Form VII, Juyo.

While Maul pushed Master Othone away from his tent, Laertes went to check up on his Mystic and to see if the Monster had been turned toward the rebels for full access to his weakness. "My power will more than likely be spent by the end of this for I intend to destroy it if I can," the Mystic told his faithful King. "I expect nothing than for you to give it all you have and if Maul survives his little skirmish with the Jedi, I'll have him finish it for you if you can't destroy it," Laertes said with an enthusiastic smile on his darkened face.

**"We don't have to do this Maul! **I can find a way to have the Code amended when I return to Coruscant in two days," Darius begged. "Don't speak, just die!" Maul replied with disgust barely disguised. After making that comment, Maul swung toward Othone's head with the intent to slice his upper skull region completely off.

Othone deflected the blow with a parry and made an underhand swoop with his purple blade in the hopes of slicing this younger, more arrogant bastard in two. Maul successfully deflected that blow as well and scoffed at how pathetic it was to attempt that against him while he could still follow every move the old Jedi made. "If you will not stop this, then I must instruct you in something you may never have seen before: allow me to school you in Vaapad," Othone replied, calmly accepting that Maul wouldn't stop unless dead.

He switched from the Soresu parries and deflects he had been using and attacked with the full force and might of a wielder of Vaapad, keeping enough open space for Ataru if he ever needed it. Nonetheless, the fact that Vaapad was apparently strange to Maul, his skill in it was enough to cause Maul to begin retreating and losing ground to the Jedi. Even with his apparently impressive skills at Juyo, Maul couldn't stop Othone from advancing with this new and deadly technique.

**Laertes noticed the Monster was **taking the bait he framed the rebels for having and now the back of its neck was exposed. "Can you see its weak spot from so far away?" he asked the Mystic. "The skies act as extra eyes, therefore I see everything," the Mystic tonelessly answered. Laertes smiled, knowing now that it would only be a matter of time before the rebels met their swift end and he would set the example of a benevolent, wise King that his descendants would remember in years long past his demise.

_I may not be as bright or long-sighted as Claudius but I am bright enough to make my own destiny on my own goals rather than those of my foolish younger brother _Laertes said to himself. He did have to admit that Claudius' scheme was brilliant and nearly succeeded but it fell to one flaw: the anger and untainted hatred of a young man who had just lost the woman he loved. Now, he had turned that flaw into a strength that helped him gain some measure of revenge against the Jedi while keeping his own hands clean of it. Not what Claudius would call brilliant but definitely something that hadn't been planned by an idiot.

He observed as the Mystic called upon the lightning bolts to attack the targeted Achilles heel with a simple chant and pointing his staff in the direction of his target. The amazing thing about this attack was that the Monster was paying no attention to the Mystic's attempts and it was then that Laertes decided to let it run its course and turn to face them when finished with the rebels. "If what you said is true about your ability to use the sky as an extra set of eyes I don't think it'll be necessary for you to have your physical eyes see it for you to target it," Laertes added to his powerful Mystic. "As my lord commands," the Mystic replied, again without a tone in his voice.

**Archimedes saw the path **his precious creature had taken and was not pleased. Still, he was impressed with its tremendous power as well as the grace and speed it took in annihilating his fellow rebels. Lasers shooting out of its eyes in the fashion of a scanner, fireballs thrown from its mouth or hands, and footsteps that literally fiercely and endlessly shook the ground for miles across the planet. It was everything he ever dreamed of and so much more despite what it was doing to the rebels rather than the King and his soldiers.

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that now it was up to him to kill Laertes if he wanted it done. After all, armies had failed to defeat him in battle, Coriolanus failed to assassinate him when he was _so close _to him, and the Monster was wiping out the rebels instead of the King's soldiers as had been intended. Packing up a pistol, readying his speeder bike, and destroying everything in his lair, he set off to do what he had vowed to do years before: kill King Laertes. It took all of his efforts not to look back on what had been his home for more than two decades for fear it would make him go back and forget about killing the King personally.

**"You're getting tired boy**, mind if I put you to sleep?" Darius Othone asked Maul. "Contrary to what you believe, I have not even begun to fight. Allow me to introduce you to a whole new weapon you probably have never seen before," Maul answered. Before Othone could interject that he had seen everything, Maul ignited the other end of his double-sided lightsaber and started spinning and twirling it to the surprise of the aged Jedi Knight.

"Now I've seen everything," the Jedi stated during a pause in their ferocious duel to the death. Maul smiled and used his lightsaber as a means of forcing Darius on the retreat, drawing upon the powers of the Dark Side as he did so. It was clear that Darius had never encountered such a weapon before when he was barely able to fend off all of Maul's strikes and some had even grazed the old man's flesh. In addition to the already surprising skill of the style, Maul was adding on the aggression and principles of Juyo as he had done earlier.

"Who taught you how to fight like this? A rogue Jedi that turned away from our Order, a Dark Jedi, who?" Darius asked out of curiosity. "No one of consequence to you, besides, he is easily more powerful than any of your Jedi and not naïve enough to have ever learned at their feet!" Maul answered, his tone indicating a thirst only for blood. The duel continued with the same ferocious passion that it had earlier in the rainy day that overshadowed them, the raindrops burning into steam on their glowing blades.

"Maul, if it is true that you are the warrior who brought Claudius to justice and brought back Ophelia's lightsaber then I can help you. Let me sooth the flames of your anger and take you back to the Temple with me or else calm down and let me leave Coruscant to make a motion on the Council to remove our rule on love," Darius asked, trying to bring it to a diplomatic end. Maul said nothing until they were at a crossing of blades that lasted only a few long minutes as they looked each other in the eye. Then Maul said, "Don't speak Jedi, just die," before continuing the duel and pressing his attack on Othone.

Othone suddenly gained the advantage by making Maul lose his grip on his lightsaber than batting it out of his hands in the midst of his fury. After that, he used the Force to push his younger opponent several feet back, Maul rolling on his face and back as he did so until he landed in an awkward kneeling position. "I have faced far more powerful people than you, please don't make me destroy you," Darius begged. "And I have faced more powerful entities than _you_ and what's more I have _killed _them all!" Maul shouted before unleashing volt of Force lightning so powerful that Othone could barely deflect it with the Force barrier he created.

Now Darius knew that Maul was the red and black Zabrak of the premonitions he had before joining Laertes' campaign against the last of the rebels. Maul roared in a bloodcurdling rage as he poured Force lightning from his fingertips and unto Darius' barrier. As it was, Darius did not know if he would survive to see another day due to the visions never saying and worse still, he saw that Maul was slowly marching toward him while still keeping up the electric barrage. It was all Darius could do to keep up his barrier even as he knew the results of the clashing powers becoming bottled up for even a few seconds due to Maul's dangerous move.

"Soon Jedi, your head will be another trophy in the meaning I have in my collection. I defeated Claudius and Lord Vitiate when their souls tied together to form Claudiate, a being who drew on the power of the Force itself. I _will _defeat you even if you survive this little spectacle and I _will _kill you even if it means chasing you back to Coruscant," Maul vowed. Then Maul the final push and extended his hands until they almost touched Darius', causing their power to transform into a small ball of energy that exploded within moments of being created.

The explosion was so powerful that it sent both of them flying across the field like rag dolls. Maul landed on a rock wall with his back, causing temporary paralysis but he was soon back on his feet. Meanwhile, Darius Othone wound up impaled on a sharp spike in one of Laertes' regiments of natural defense. He knew that although the move would be enough to slow him down, its deadliness laid not in the damage it immediately did to him so much as in a poison poured on it before it began use.

It was a colorless liquid native to Nyx that first made an enemy lose his mind then killed him through an unspeakably painful death unless someone put him out of his misery before that could happen. Darius sliced enough of the spike off for ease of escaping it with his recovered lightsaber then held placed his left hand across his belly while holding his activated lightsaber in his right hand. Maul was quick to reappear as if he were a predator smelling blood on a wounded item of prey instead of a dark warrior fighting a Jedi Master. Smiling, Maul resumed the duel and used the poison's maddening effect to his advantage in Darius' final minutes of life.

"Your scientist Ozymandias screamed like a little girl as I sliced him in two. How does that knowledge make you _feel_, Master Darius Othone?" he mocked. Darius never realized it but the poison was fast acting and he lost all sense of sanity right when Maul confessed he killed Ozymandias. Switching into Djem So, Darius hacked and lashed like a wild cur at Maul who now simply toyed with him and even kicked him in the face thus throwing him down to the dirt below them.

"Your rage unbalances you and your insanity makes you sloppy. That is not the Jedi way, is it?" Maul continued, enjoying every second of this final assault on Master Othone. Darius charged at him but Maul simply used one side of his lightsaber to spin himself around and behind the old man before kicking him in the back with both his feet. The blow was enough to knock Darius down yet again but in his insanity, he did not see his doom arriving even when the explosive headaches that signaled the deadlier effects began.

Finally, after much mockery and merely playing around with Darius, Maul struck down the old man. In a single blow, Maul managed to cut off half of Darius' head cleanly and he watched as Othone's body fell, twitched, then stopped moving altogether. Maul relished in his victory despite the battlefield beginning to burn all around him as the Monster made its efforts against the people of Nyx and Laertes himself. But even as he enjoyed dispatching yet another Jedi, there was a sense of emptiness that accompanied it: was _this_, this beastly nature he literally enjoyed,what Ophelia managed to see past enough to love him?

What would she say if she knew he was taking revenge against the Jedi because of her death at Claudiate's hands on Heraklion Prime? Would she have encouraged his deeds or would she have been disgusted with him for even making these violent efforts in her beautiful name? Suddenly, he felt so ugly and guilty at what he had done that for a single moment, a tear actually fell from his eye. However, that moment was brief and in place of the Maul that would weep came a new man, one who would destroy the Jedi or die trying to: he now could truly call himself _Darth _Maul.

**Laertes knew one thing **when he saw the Mystic return from his tent with a spear in his hand after the latter had gone in to recuperate _and _bring out the only weapon known to control, let alone kill, the Monster. He knew that there wasn't much time left and either the Spear worked and destroyed the creature or Nyx would become the husk that the Ares moon was at present.

A/N: Sorry it has taken so long for me to get this chapter done. My personal life has been interfering with my ability to write and finish this story. Also a warning that it may be a while longer before I can do anymore as well, thanks for your wait and I'm glad you all have liked this story so far.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Laertes asked the Mystic if he would be allowed to come along with him in slaying the Monster. "No, I defeated it all those years ago by myself. It is best I do it again and hopefully bring an end to it this time," the Mystic answered grimly. "Is it true what the legends say about it almost killing you to seal it away?" Laertes inquired.

"Yes and though the risks are high, I will see to it that this creature lies dead before the day is over. It may require sacrificing my immortality but if it works, my life and one airspeeder will be all you have to lose besides the soldiers already caught in its path," the Mystic said to his King. "I will provide you our fastest and have it set course for the beast immediately. As it will be on autopilot once you're in the air and on course, all you have to worry about is reaching the Monster and bringing it down before it can destroy all of us," Laertes said not without his lack of enthusiasm in this bold idea.

"I know you do not like the idea of ruling your kingdom without the wisdom of the Council of the Mystics. You will learn someday that being merely a human makes you stronger than a Mystic instead of weaker. For one thing, you do not have to rely on the faith and worship of humans to fuel your immortality and age when a year has been particularly bad," the Mystic told him with a sad smile. Laertes returned it with equal sadness in his heart at the thought of never again relying on the advice of the Mystic and his wise Council that had been there for his father and all of his ancestors since the beginning of the Erebus and Draco dynasties.

Though somewhat divided in the beginning of the Draco dynasty, the Mystics had gazed into the future and saw the toppling of the Erebus dynasty and quickly sided with the new and more powerful family. Now Laertes could've sworn he had received a glimpse of the future and seen only the death of his lifelong friend, teacher, and godfather. "If I send you on this, will there be a future for the practice of your magic and those who would seek to know how to use it?" Laertes asked. "No, you might as well destroy the temples and disband the priests now that I am on my way to my death," the Mystic answered calmly.

Laertes nodded then watched as the speeder began flight in the sky with the Mystic on its mast. It was the fastest of its model, the "lightning bolt" as Ophelia called them when she was little, and would transport the old man on his one-way trip to the Monster he himself helped to create. He stood where he was and watched the last of the Mystic Council ride off into the distance and into his death, tears slowly rolling down his eyes at the thought of losing the only man in his life that he could have considered a second father. Then his senses were brought back when he heard a pistol being cocked and footsteps were approaching him where he stood.

"Never planned for you to go out so sloppily but if you want something done right you have to do it yourself, don't you?" Archimedes asked in a rhetorical tone. "How come the plans of the geniuses always come undone by those with the power of the Force?" Laertes asked. "Be still and do not speak or move unless I tell you that you can, understand?" Archimedes replied. Laertes nodded a reply and Archimedes moved in closer, checking to see if he was armed before directing him back into the royal tent.

"For more than a decade, I was exiled to the mountains of Nyx all because you found my ideas insane and a hindrance to the growth of Nyx as an entire world. I couldn't let you continue to rule over shortsighted fools who couldn't see the profit such a powerful weapon as the Monster could be for your entire system. You could establish yourself as the new power of the galaxy and even the Jedi would have to bow down to you," Archimedes explained. "While the Jedi are meant to serve, they will only serve the principles of the Republic and would gladly lay down their lives to protect it," Laertes replied.

"So you fear what they could do if you did assault the galaxy? You, the king of the entire Nyx system including the extinct moon Ares, afraid of little Jedi in a little Republic?" Archimedes mocked. "If _you _aren't I would be concerned for your welfare," Laertes said, keeping a cool head in this dire situation. Then it occurred to him, if Maul won the duel he would be back at any moment.

That meant that if Laertes bought him enough time, he could end Archimedes once and for all. So he decided to use what perhaps was Archimedes' greatest skill- running at that small mouth of his like verbal diarrhea- to his advantage. "So did you want to find out the power of the Monster because of the legends or were you so jealous of my brother's findings in interdimensional travel that you needed something that could destroy him and give you free reign over the galaxy and the scientific community?" Laertes asked. Though strange, it was a question Archimedes would most definitely answer after giving it a little thought as he tended to do at times.

"Do not be a fool your system's economy is based on science and business, not military! Undoubtedly, your military could hold their own against the Republic forces but it isn't like military is the highest priority your people could have. Therefore, when I heard that there had been such a military power as the Monster in your history, I had to see if the legends were true or just myth," he explained. "We were not always about science and commerce, the people of the now-dead moon of Ares saw to that long before our first ancestors were conceived," Laertes replied in agreement.

"Silence, one more word and I blow your head off unless I say you can speak!" Archimedes snapped. "I don't think you'll need to worry about that for too much longer," Laertes replied. He had seen Maul outside, looking for him and about to assume he was in the tent and see Archimedes holding a blaster to him. Maul saw him and nodded immediately although Laertes gave no signal nor leaned his head to see Maul clearly enough to know what he would do to Archimedes.

However, Laertes didn't need to see or ask what Maul was planning when, only a few seconds after seeing him, a glowing red blade protruded through Archimedes' chest then disappeared faster than the blink of a human eye. Archimedes went limp and fell to the sand below him, his head making a thud sound went it came down along with the rest of his dead body. "One less competitor for your brother when he finally returns to the field of science, wouldn't you agree?" Maul asked in a rhetoric tone to Laertes. "Where's Master Othone?" Laertes asked, ignoring Maul's question to him.

"Dead as all the Jedi shall one day be," Maul answered. "His Order will not allow his death to go unnoticed nor will the HoloNet News now that I think of other industries standing to profit from this. The trail of blood you have left on this world will not go unnoticed but if you're cunning, I can take the blame for you and the Jedi could buy into it," Laertes said. "That doesn't sound too bad an idea if it weren't for one little problem: the Jedi are already aware of my existence, now they will need to know my plans for them if not to join their Order," Maul replied.

"You can't be serious!" Laertes shouted. "Send the body of Darius Othone back to them with a little note I myself will write if you provide the writing material. Your hands will be washed of my involvement after that unless you choose to thank me for helping you end the rebellion on Nyx," Maul replied calmly and almost soothingly. "What do you intend to write?" Laertes asked.

"_Jedi Knights of the Republic, you made Ophelia suffer because of your foolish rule forbidding love. Now with her dead, every single Jedi Knight, Master, Padawan, and Youngling will pay the price by my lightsaber skills. First this old man who foolishly challenged, now the rest of the Order and our war will not end until either I destroy you or lie dead at the hands of one of your warriors. This is retribution and reckoning for your Order will soon follow –Sincerely, the warrior who traveled with and loved Jedi Knight Ophelia Draco_," Maul answered.

"That is very dangerous Maul, are you sure you want to do this to the Order?" Laertes inquired. "I do this not just for me or for the master I serve, I do this for Ophelia and your family honor as well," Maul replied. "Then I guess there is no stopping you from seeking further conflict and bloodshed with the Jedi Order. While I can honestly say I don't doubt it's what you want there is one thing I still cannot decide with that certainty: is this what _she _would have wanted for you or me?" Laertes asked.

Maul bit his lower lip pondering that question before admitting that he didn't have an answer to it. "However, I will be given no room for such weaknesses by my Master when I return to our home on Coruscant. Understand that the Maul could feel sadness, care for others, and know pain is gone; replaced by this one, one who only knows anger, hatred, and vengeance. I am a man without hope, a man without a cause other than to destroy the Jedi and rule at my Master's side as second-in-command of the galaxy, understood?" Maul asked him.

Though Laertes honestly didn't understand what he meant by that, he nodded his head anyway in case Maul planned to kill him if he did not. "Then I guess we must get your things packed up and have you on your way back to Coruscant before the Jedi learn of your presence," Laertes said with a grim tone in his voice. Maul detected the grimness but he never did detect the disappointment in the King's voice. Though Laertes vowed to help Maul in anyway he could in the future, he wondered if Maul would ever appreciate or need Laertes' offer of help.

"I will let you know when I need your help, no sooner and no later than that. And the sooner I am on my way, the better for all of us," Maul added. "I will see to it that the next offworld transport goes to Coruscant, we owe the Chancellor a shipment anyway," Laertes said to him. "That won't be necessary, I came in a ship with a powerful cloaking shield and I will leave with it," Maul replied.

After that, Maul disappeared and Laertes never saw him again even when he made the arrangements to allow Maul to leave Nyx without a permit in or out of the planet. In truth, Laertes actually hoped he never had to deal with Maul again after all that. While he was indeed grateful for the young man's services on his behalf and his people revered Maul as a legendary icon and ordered a statue of him to be commissioned by the King, there was something eerie about him. It was something Laertes did not like about Maul and he wondered how Ophelia could ever have come to love such a monster but maybe he had overlooked exactly the reason why.

One night, three days after Maul left, Laertes was still pondering the boy's origins and wondered where he truly came from. Then he realized Maul had never established a place of origin besides Coruscant although that didn't sound like his original home with the way he said it. "If only Ophelia was here to help me decipher his identity, if only she were still alive. The people of Nyx could use her tender touch right now," he thought aloud for no one to hear.

**Sidious had received Maul's final report** and knew his apprentice had succeeded in yet another mission. However, it wasn't Maul's success that caught Sidious' attention so much as a chance in how his apprentice behaved and spoke around him. The Zabrak's voice had been quieter and more sadistic in its nature, something Sidious enjoyed hearing in his bloodthirsty apprentice. He also noticed that that tone was something his own master, Lord Plagueis, lacked to a point where Sidious began to consider him not a mentor or a friend but a liability in comparison to Maul.

"Interesting that you should think that of your apprentice when it was I who helped create the rebellion on Nyx," Plagueis said one day as Sidious reported his apprentice's success as well as his own thoughts on his transformation into a new and deadlier Sith warrior. "What? Why and how?" Sidious asked in shock. "Easy enough: you boasted of your apprentice's remorselessness as well as his ability to get a job done and with the way he had loved Ophelia, I knew I had to do what you could not and complete his transformation into our deadly weapon," Plagueis said, confusing Sidious even more.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"But how did you get into contact with Doctor Archimedes?" Sidious inquired. "Easy enough, he was a respectable client in Damask Holdings and we had always been ready to help him when he needed us to. I even personally delivered the loans and grants he needed to him and decided how big his budget could be as well as how much time he had to pay off the loans without interest or late fees," Plagueis answered. "And did this continue even after he was exiled to the mountains of Nyx?" Sidious asked.

"It did and it was I who funded his obsession on Nyx's legendary Monster although I never would have guessed that your apprentice would learn of its existence. It was a good test considering that I saw that Ophelia's death was having a negative impact on Maul's ability to serve us properly. Now that he has killed a powerful Jedi (yet another aspect of his mission I did not anticipate) and shown remorselessness in murdering Archimedes and Ozymandias, he is ready to continue his service to us, my young apprentice," Plagueis answered. "He will come back seeking vengeance against the rest of the Jedi Order, was that your aim all this time?" Sidious asked, hoping this was the last question he'd have to ask.

Plagueis answered simply by nodding and Sidious could not believe that his Master would do this to his apprentice. "I have nothing personal against him but you would not remove the weakness from him, forcing my hand in the issue. If I have to do this again then perhaps I will have to use him as a replacement for you," Plagueis warned. Sidious said he understood and left Plagueis to resume his work on finding the secret to immortality through the Force.

It was quest perhaps more obsessive in its nature than Archimedes' desire to see the power of the Monster, a biomechanical robot created through natural magic to protect the people of Nyx from a neighboring war loving world. The reason Sidious thought so was because unlike examining the explosive power of machine, Plagueis was obsessed on something that had only been achieved through the lost ceremony of essence transfer or the imperfect "Vitiate method" which was a method that involved the power of several dark lords (along with their combined life forces) merging with the Force power of an entire planet. At that price, he who successfully completed the ceremony could not only obtain but give it to others if they chose. As the Sith Emperor called Darth Vitiate was the only one to ever do this, this method was named after him by future Sith Lords who looked with awe, fear, and/or contempt for his foolish desires.

However, what neither Sith Lord realized was that Maul was the only one of their kind who knew the final fate of Lord Vitiate as he was the one who destroyed him forevermore. Sad thing was, neither Sidious nor Plagueis been told that part of his mission as he never mentioned any details of it except for his romance with Claudius' sister Ophelia and her death during the events of the mission to save Heraklion Prime. That must have been enough details for Plagueis to decide to strengthen his resolve and hasten his rise to the feared Sith Lord he was destined to become one day. After Sidious left his master to his work, he contacted his apprentice who was meditating in his chambers and congratulated him for the success of his mission to Nyx, something he seldom did in comparison to scolding him for any errors he made during any assignment issued by Sidious or Plagueis for that matter.

**Maul knew it was difficult for his Master **to compliment his flawless success without following it with a lecture on any and all errors that were made. He intended it to be that way as he despised the fact that his master would lecture on any one aspect of his mission for several minutes to a few hours as he usually did after Maul returned home. But this was special because unlike the mission he shared with Ophelia, this one took him to and over the limits of his ability to feel emotion. The best part was that he could now only feel the emotions necessary to employ the power of the Dark Side: hatred, anger, but particularly vengeance.

_Maul, Maul, can you hear me? _a voice whispered in his ear. _Ophelia, is that you returned to me from beyond the dead? _he asked. _Yes Maul, it's me but I can only be here a brief time unless you slip out of consciousness and come to the land between the realm of the dead and the domain of the living. I will take you there if you let me and we can talk more there _the voice replied to him softly.

Maul allowed his conscious mind to be transported to a place with black skies and grey mist all around him, visibility almost nonexistent all around him. Then he saw the familiar face and red hair of Ophelia Draco, the mist hiding her naked body from the shoulder down. "I am pleased to see you again Maul, I have missed you," she said. "As did I, love," he replied.

"Did you?" she asked. "I don't understand what you mean," he answered. "You may have avenged my death by destroying Vitiate and bringing my brother to justice in my stead but what did you do after that? You expanded your revenge to include the entire Jedi Order, something I never would have wanted in life!" she explained.

"They forbid you from loving me for the good you saw in me, they _deserve _that fate!" Maul exclaimed. "So Darius Othone deserved to be forced into defending himself from the wrong end of your blade? He deserved to be mocked until he went insane then put out of his misery by _your _hand?" Ophelia inquired, demandingly. Maul thought about that and realized he had no answer for that.

"I am truly at a loss for words, I don't know how to reply to that," he finally admitted grimly. "Then let me speak: you have somehow made yourself think that you're avenging both of our honors by killing Jedi Knights, my family if you will, and you won't stop until you've destroyed them all. I do not lecture you in this because I despise you or your actions (though I loath the latter from the bottom of my now-immortal heart) but because I still love you and I still see good in you. It is not too late for you to come to the light, control your fear and let go of your anger; I beg you," she explained.

"The Maul who would have been persuaded by your words is dead. Out of the ashes of the fires that burned him as risen the true Darth Maul, avenger of those wronged like you and me as well as apprentice to the most powerful man in this galaxy. If you do not like what I am doing for us then stay out of my way as I act as your sword now that you are dead," he replied, his tone's viciousness rising with every passing second. "I will never give up on you Maul because one day, you will be faced with a traumatic change from everything you know that will transform you into something else," Ophelia began.

When Maul had nothing to say immediately, she continued with her prophecy. "Whether the change will come tomorrow or in twenty years is beyond me as souls do not know the past but also don't see the future until it's right at their doorstep. You will have to make a new beginning for yourself and while you may have help, you will eventually have to make the difficult choices by yourself. Your master will not be there to decide your fate forever after all," she concluded.

Then she began to walk back towards the realm of the dead and Maul tried to stop her form leaving him again. "If you love me Maul, you will know what you have to do when the time comes for that change. Always remember me but do not fight to avenge me," she said. Then she was gone and he returned to the room he shared in his master's headquarters on Coruscant.

Maul gave his head a good shaking to see if he could erase the memory of his vision from his mind forever. Unfortunately, the last words Ophelia had said before she left him still stuck with him like irremovable glue or a piece of metal melted by a lightsaber then attached to a solid bit of material. _Remember me but do not fight to avenge me _she had said to him with the same tone she would use before kissing him during their mission. Nonetheless he knew one thing: he had perfected the meaning of the Dark Side and now would have nothing to interfere with his focus in future assignment provided by his shadowy master.

It was a feeling that Maul had never known in his life but one that was so good that it was almost painful for him to imagine having. He continued with his meditation and was undisturbed for the rest of the night, even when he awoke to practice his lightsaber skills on the training droids Sidious left behind for him. Since Sidious and Plagueis were both away, Maul had the fortress all to himself and enjoyed the benefit of not having someone hover over him or watch him via hologram for once. Unfortunately, it didn't mean he didn't have instructions: never leave the house from Sidious' note and a note from Plagueis insisting on a serum injection that was supposedly capable of increasing his performance in both lightsaber combat and Force powers.

What he would never know however was that the serum had other properties as opposed to performance increase. He observed it whenever he gave into his hatred while fighting the combat droids and concluded it wasn't merely a performance enhancer. It was also something fueled by the Dark Side of the Force and only took effect when those who had it in their blood gave into the power of the Dark Side. But there was one more effect that he never learned about until it was too late.

**"Mother Talzin, such an honor to hear from **you again after so long," Plagueis said. "The honor is returned Lord Plagueis. Has the serum been delivered to Maul yet?" she asked. "By now, he should have taken it especially since I left instructions that classified it as a performance enhancer rather than what you said it was," he answered.

"It was an enhancer as well as what I said it was but keep in mind that I had hoped it would be a little longer before he faced what would have been his death. But when you reported that he would be part of your Grand Plan in a few months, you forced my hand," she said. "I assure you that it would not have happened had my apprentice let him weaken the way he did after he watched his precious Ophelia die at the hands of her brother," he replied. "Spare me the apologies, I know that you didn't mean to do what you did but I appreciate your understanding and cooperation nonetheless," she assured him.

"So where exactly does this young man fit into your plans for Dathomir and the galaxy if you don't mind me asking?" he asked. "Maul is a son of Dathomir and therefore one of my slaves by right of birth, however, his destiny is to help me reach a point of power no mother of the tribes has ever reached or thought of before. He and his brother will be a help to me when the time comes for me to use them to my advantage and I assure you they will not conflict with your interests when that time does come," she answered. "Then our business together is herewith dissolved?" he inquired with one raised eyebrow on his face.

Talzin nodded and thanked him for his help in keeping Maul safe until she was ready to use him for her grand schemes for her world. When her hologram dissolved, Plagueis sighed with relief that he was at last done with that witch forever. Though Talzin had a good sense of business and carried with her a stubborn sense of honor and dignity, she made him shutter from his head down to his feet. Whether it had something to do with the magic she wielded as the head of a tribe of Nightsisters or if it was because he couldn't quite read her emotions was beyond him but now it no longer mattered.

**Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan **attended the funeral procession for Darius Othone who returned to them decapitated and a bloody hole in his chest from a round weapon of sorts. His lightsaber was intact and buried with him as was Jedi custom whenever funerals were underway. "Do you think some Dark Jedi might have killed Master Othone? It doesn't seem right to me," Obi-wan asked, somewhat confused by the circumstances of Othone's horrible demise.

"No I do not my young Padawan, after all, I have known Master Othone for decades and he had been like a father to me. His skills with a lightsaber have only been equaled or outmatched by a few: myself, Master Yoda, Master Windu, Mistress Odette and Master Sora Bulq. The latter two were the co-founders of Othone's specialty style," Qui-Gon explained. "Are you saying it would take someone more powerful than a mere Dark Jedi to defeat him in lightsaber combat?" Obi-wan inquired.

"Dark Jedi are powerful, they just lack the focus to channel their powers into a duel long enough to defeat someone as powerful as Master Othone. As long as they remain between the Light and Dark sides of the Force, even if they are more one than the other, they cannot hope to defeat a full-fledged Jedi Master with Othone's amazing skill. However, he did predict the return of the Sith and used the corruption of the Senate as a means of recognizing the powerful manipulation effects the Dark Side can have," Qui-Gon told him firmly. "I thought you only focused on the here and now instead of the future or the past," Obi-wan replied.

"This is the present and sometimes, it calls for details from the past and visions of the future in order to solve its mysteries. However, your mind should be predominantly focused on the present day," Qui-Gon said. "And what do you conclude Master?" Obi-wan asked. "That it might be best to investigate his death while on our next mission and see if we can find out anything about it," Qui-Gon answered.

The two would have talked more on the matter had Yoda not called Qui-Gon over and asked to speak with him alone. "I'll be starting an investigation unless you say otherwise if you need me," Obi-wan whispered. Qui-Gon nodded in agreement and told Obi-wan that if he got any information, he was to notify him immediately. "Right Master," Obi-wan said with a bow before heading to the Jedi Archives for their investigation.

**"But my lord, it's impossible to locate **the ship. It's out of our range," said cowardly Viceroy Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation. "Not for the Sith," Sidious replied and Maul stepped into view shortly after that. "This is my apprentice: Darth Maul; he will find your lost ship," Sidious added when the Nemoidians had nothing to say before disconnecting communications with them.

"As Senator of Naboo, I'm required to have be able to have trace codes of all ships leaving in and out of the system. I will provide you the code but I want you to trace where the ship is and report it to me immediately when you find something," Sidious said. Maul bowed and thanked his Master for the codes, two years of merciless training since his mission to Nyx showing on him for the first time. He plugged in the code and had his most advanced tracking technologies put to the job of finding the Nubian ship that had escaped the Trade Federation; he was pleased when the results did not take long in coming and yielded a single name for a planet: Tatooine.


	14. Epilogue

Epilogue

Darth Maul had followed his Jedi quarry this far and was not about to quit now that he had slain the older Jedi and still had the Padawan to deal with. In fact, he was not even beginning to enjoy this duel of the millennium and to think that he was the first Sith Lord to have fought a Jedi Knight (never mind a Master and a Padawan) was a thrilling thought. With the death of his Master, the Padawan was beginning to make this duel excessively easy and it disappointed him that that was the case. Darius Othone had been a better match than both of these Jedi put together as had been Claudiate back on Heraklion Prime almost two years before.

The Padawan surprised Maul every now and then with his skill but Maul still managed to propel him into the pit behind him with the Force. After knocking the Padawan called Kenobi into the pit and seeing him hold on for dear life to an alarm light he found near the edge, Maul came across something familiar in his past. He saw the hilt of Kenobi's lightsaber and realized it was the very same one that Ophelia had wielded two years ago during the mission to Heraklion Prime. Just looking at it immediately brought back memories of her death and his vow of vengeance against the entire Jedi Order itself.

So before letting Kenobi gain the upper hand, he kicked the lightsaber over the Jedi and watched as it bounced off the walls before heading for the reactor core to be destroyed. After that, Maul played with him by slicing the edge with his lightsaber and causing hundreds of sparks to fly. However, after a few brief strokes, he became bored and watched to see if Kenobi would make a move to defend himself or attack Maul again. Obi-wan's next move surprised him when he suddenly leapt from the pit, called to his dead master's lightsaber with the Force, ignited the blade and swung it through Maul's waist near instantly.

Before he knew it, Maul's body separated into halves and he watched as his legs left him forever to also be destroyed by the power of the reactor. For several minutes, he fell so as to give Obi-wan the impression that he was dead and he actually hoped he soon would be. But he somehow did not die as his hatred of the Jedi kept him alive but when he channeled his hate against Kenobi particularly, he survived. He found a small opening in the shaft and decided to follow it to wherever it led and that was to a ship a Nubian man said was destined for Lotho Minor.

Knowing that Sidious would have him executed for his failure if he reported it and returned to Coruscant, there was only one thing left for him to do. He climbed down to the ship and boarded it before anyone noticed, hoping that it would remain that way until he arrived to the planet called Lotho Minor. The ship took off and Maul found a place in a dark corner of the ship in which to hide until he made it and since it was a dumping ship, he made his way to the pile of junk and crawled in, knowing that he could land on the surface of the planet when the shaft doors opened to dump out the worthless junk being sent there. The trip wasn't long nor was the fall on top of one of the towering piles of burning garbage on the surface of the scrap pile floating in space.

Upon landing, he immediately sought shelter below the ground and began to carve out a new life for himself in the knowledge that he would likely stay for years. But a decade went by and Maul managed to fit himself with a flawed but effective spiderlike apparatus to replace his legs, Maul's memories began to disappear, madness began to set in and he concluded that he was doomed to remain on Lotho Minor until he met his demise by old age or lack of food. Amongst the memories lost were any of Ophelia, her family, or anything to do with a planet called Nyx nearly halfway across the galaxy from where he presently remained in isolation, darkness and misery. A snake named Morley helped keep him alive until one day, a man of his species came wielding a double-sided lightsaber as Maul used to and claimed that he was Maul's brother.

However, because Maul had never known of a brother to begin with, his broken mind allowed him to deny it with ease. "No, no, you don't know, you don't know anything!" Maul hissed at him maliciously. "I know I am your blood," the man replied calmly. Then Maul began reciting the Sith code aloud and remembering conversations that he had had as a kid with Sidious.

"Jedi! Revenge, I must have revenge," he said when it ended. "I brought you something," the man called Savage Opress told him. "For me… food?" Maul asked inquisitively. "No, something to help restore your memory," Savage answered before handing him the necklace around his massive neck.

Without warning, Maul felt a spark of his memories returning. Before Savage had come to find him, he had remembered only that the Jedi had taken his legs away from him but now he remembered a name: Kenobi. "Come with me brother and I will help you to regain your revenge. Let's go find this Kenobi character and make him pay for what he has done to you," Savage coaxed the next day. "Yes, yes, we must kill Kenobi," Maul enthusiastically replied with a violent nod.

He followed Savage to his ship and was initially skeptical about boarding the massive vessel. "We go in that?" he asked. "Yes brother, we do. This will take you home with me, don't you want to go home?" Savage answered.

"Yes, yes, I want to go home. Let's go home," Maul agreed. Maul boarded the vessel with Savage and watched as it closed on Lotho Minor. "Bye bye, shit pile!" Maul said with a surprisingly high pitched laugh.

Whether Savage heard that or not, Maul didn't know nor did he care as he repeated it aloud. Being insane, Maul's mind was too damaged to know that the planet they were going to was a planet of significance. It was his birthplace, none other than Dathomir itself and awaiting them was Mother Talzin of the Nightsisters. And she would become part of his destiny forever…

A/N: Forgive me if this ending seems rushed but I wanted to get this done with before loaning my computer to my Dad for final repairs on it. I have all my documents (including this one) on a portable drive but it may be a while before I'm back to writing due to the final week of tennis, next month along with my busboy job, school, and graduation preparations. Thank you for your patience, nice reviews, and for regularly visiting and hitting up on my stories. I will try to have more enjoyable material for your reading as soon as possible! :) You guys rule, don't ever forget that!


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